


When the Seánce ends.

by Mace_fluff_button



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/F, F/M, Homophobic Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:47:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24309220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mace_fluff_button/pseuds/Mace_fluff_button
Summary: ~This story is on momentary haitus, more details in the 5th chapter.A look into Dave and klaus' lives post voodoo child. Dave and Klaus, now officially together, find that there's still more to learn from one another, but it only serves to strengthen their bond as they explore each other's past while embracing the present and slowly planning the future.
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	1. The Hargreeves BBQ begins.

**Author's Note:**

> Is anyone still following this AU? Eh, I already started writing it, so I might as well finish it. The story really did take a little bit of a turn from how I first thought it out in my head, but I think that's just how writing works. Maybe one day I'll buckle down and try to get it down like I originally planned it. I'm trying to stay ahead of the curve on this series, but what I've learned so far from making the first, is that a) I'm a horrible editor and the best chapters take time, B) I'm still figuring out the website and c) spell check, spell check, spell check. Sorry for any spelling and or grammar errors there might be, I do my best to edit myself.

Ch 1. The Hargreeve's BBQ begins. 

"Just a heads up, it's going to be super shitty." Klaus said after turning the shower head on, his tone grave as he looked Dave in the eye.

"So I've been told.", Dave snorted, slipping into the shower with Klaus and closing the glass door behind them. It was just big enough to fit the two of them, they discovered early on that they liked sharing a shower, especially as a form of aftercare when they dabbled in the more non vanilla aspects of their sex life. 

"I'm just making sure you're prepared, Dave. My family, especially all of us together is….well, we're shitty." Klaus repeated, lathering his hair up then handing the bottle of shampoo over to him. 

"It can't be that bad, I mean, at least you guys are still all together." Dave shrugged, squeezing shampoo into his hand. He hadn't meant to sound so gloomy, but he couldn't help it. He'd take a shitty dysfunctional family over no family anyday. 

"Dave?" Klaus set a hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and shook his head, they didn't talk much about his family, it never came up in the short time they'd been official, but Klaus did know that part of his life wasn't any prettier than his own. They could leave the convention to just that, but Dave found himself wanting to share. He realized he trusted Klaus so much more than he'd ever trusted Preston. 

He took a steadying breath, readying himself to crack open an old dusty door he'd kept locked away and ignored for years, "Mental illness ran in my family-" 

"You don't have to-" Klaus tried to reassure him, but Dave knew what they had was a two way street. He knew so much about Klaus already and Klaus was just barely scraping the surface of who he was. He wouldn't tell him everything right now, but just enough to start, he owned him that much at least. 

"Mental illness ran in my family, my grandmother was an alcoholic, so my dad was an alcoholic and my mother was bipolar and agoraphobic. It wasn't a perfect household, but when my dad was coherent and my mom was outside of her room, it was pretty good, then my dad ran a red light drunk at the wheel." 

He could remember that night clear as day, the emotions that came with it were even more vivid in his memory and just like that, the door was pulled open just a sliver and all the light behind it filtered back to the surface.  
___________

"Hello young man, is your mother home?" A female officer smiled tightly down at him, she stood next to a shorter male officer who didn't even try to mask his angry frown. He was just a week past fifteen, skinny and on the shorter side. His grandfather had always told him he was a late bloomer and Dave hoped that was the case, cause he was already the man of the house while his dad wondered about the streets most nights, drinking his life away. He just knew that was exactly why the police were here. 

He slowly shook his head yes, stomach churning with the heavy navy blue gloom hanging over the officer's heads. They were exasperated, resigned and filled with pity for his family. 

"Can you please go get her?" The second officer griped, his voice like a fork down a garbage disposal, his breath smelled like cigarettes and only served to put Dave even more on edge. 

"She doesn't like strangers." He replied curtly, his instincts telling him to keep this bad news far away from his mother as he tried to close the door on them. 

"David, who's at the door?" His mom called behind him from the hallway. His heart sank, pulse beating in his ears as he heard the scuff and shuffle of his mother's slippers on the hardwood floor. 

"What's going on?" She finally asked the officers, her face bewildered, she was dressed in her well worn pajamas, the ones she hadn't taken off in months and the outside breeze blew strands of her frizzy blond hair into her face as she pushed the door a little wider to accommodate the two figures on her front porch.

The female officer smiled again, the pity in her roaring to life in an inky blue black swirl coating her aura "Ma'am, it's about your husband, there's been an incident. May we come in?" 

Dave felt like puking with the ungodly amount of anxiety that phrase caused his mother. He felt like puking in this very moment as he remembered the multiple panic attacks his mother had and how long he had to stave off his own in order to take care of her. 

_____________

He squeezed his eyes shut, his tears mixing with the shower water. He felt Klaus' arms loosely wrap around him, "Things got pretty shitty from there, didn't they?" 

He took a deep breath in through his nose, letting it out on a half sob half laugh, cause even after all these years, just the thought of what his dad had done made him diluriously sick, "He was drunk, going twenty miles above the speed limit and ran a red light. He collided head on with a minivan and killed a family of four, Klaus. A mom, a dad, and two little girls, five and eight!" 

He could still feel it, every emotion from his mother and those cops that night, he felt it all like it was brand new. That family, those kids, they never had a chance, their future ripped away just like that, all because of his father. The bastard had so many chances not to get drunk, not to grab his keys, not to get in his car and start it, but he did and even then he had the audacity to survive. It sickens him and makes him feel like a hypocrite all in the same breath, cause at one point, he almost became his father. 

"Am I a bad son, if I said I could never forgive him?" He asks wetly, tone light despite the heavy lump in his throat. 

Klaus pulls away and holds him at arm's length, looking at him with soft eyes devoid of any judgement, then he smirks. "No, I'd say that makes us kindred spirits." 

He nods, not able to suppress the chuckle bubbling in his throat."yeah, I guess we sort of are"

He was still a little awestruck that he got to have this, unaccustomed to the instant comfort and acceptance he received whenever he got emotional. He was always waiting for the day Klaus would finally get annoyed with him and tell him to figure his shit out himself, but the gentle kiss to his neck and the soothing soapy hand in his hair told him that day just might never come.  
_____________________________

The mansion was overwhelming, it's occupants even more so. So far he'd been introduced to a talking chimpanzee who took his coat at the door and a young blond woman in nineteen fifties attire who was apparently klaus' mother. 

"She's so young!" He whispered to Klaus, not so subtly shooting quick glances to Grace who was preparing a fairly large bowl of potato salad in the kitchen. 

"You know, I really thought Pogo would be the most surprising to you?" Klaus leaned his head against his shoulder, looking up at him through his lashes, they were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive, so far it was just him, Klaus, Pogo, Grace and he was told Luther was busy setting up in the backyard with Ben. He wasn't sure if Luther knew that though.

"I'm still processing that one actually, but I'll have questions later, I promise." He told him, leaning down to sneak a kiss. 

"Oh my God, you must be Dave!" A woman's voice echoed from across the room. He and Klaus looked up just in time to see Allison Hargreeves striding straight towards them. 

"Hello, i-im Dave.. klaus' uh…" he looked to Klaus for help, already knowing he was failing this introduction spectacularly, but he couldn't help it, the woman was a lagitment movie star, who also had the raging aura of a bloodthirsty tigress stood over her cub. 

"Ally, this is my very normal and loving, non-dangerous boyfriend, Dave Katz." Klaus gestured towards him and he immediately stuck his hand out for her to shake,- "and Dave, this is my very not normal, loving and sometimes dangerous sister, Allison."- He said, gesturing to Allison as she shook his hand in a firm grip. 

"Pleasure, I've heard a lot about you, so far good things, but if I hear otherwise….well, you can take a guess as to what I'm capable of getting away with." She grinned sweetly, finally letting go of his hand and sauntering off towards the backyard. 

"So...she's the rumor right...the one that can basically control people's minds?" He turned to Klaus, wide eyed and desperately willing his heart rate to regulate itself. 

"Yup, that's the one."  
__________________________

"David, right? It's great to finally meet you, I'm Luther the oldest." Luther clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him to the ground. He stumbled and coughed, dizzy with the amount of wind the larger man had thumped out of him.

"Luther, I would appreciate it if you didn't injure my boyfriend!" Klaus growled, rubbing his back and asking him if he needed an ice pack. He shook his head no, not wanting to look like a wimp, even though some ice did sound good for the bruise he could already feel blooming between his shoulder blades. 

"Oh shit, I'm sorry Dave, I forget about my strength sometimes." He winced, aura colored in varying degrees of sympathy and embarrassment. 

Dave shook his head, standing straighter to tell Luther it was no worries and to offer his hand in truce, but the other man barreled over him.

"At least now he knows how easy it would be for me to kill him if he ever hurts you Klaus!" Luther laughed, looking particularly pleased with his joke. Dave wasn't sure how much of his anxiety was his own, cause Klaus looked seconds away from going off on him. 

"Boy am I glad I can't eat, those burgers look like hockey pucks, man." Ben materialized behind the grill, easily diffusing the rising tension as Luther swung around to defend his burgers and grilling capabilities.

He breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a tug on his shirt sleeve. He turned around to the sly smirk plastered on klaus' face, - "We won't eat till everyone is here, you wanna see my old room in the meantime?"- he wiggled his eyebrows and Dave went red, nodding his agreement vehemently and feeling like a teenager in his crush's house. In a way that's exactly what it was, minus the teenager part and add the fact that his crush was his boyfriend, it was still just as exciting though.  
____________________________

He walked into the room, then he walked right back out. "Dave, Dave what's wrong!?" 

He clamored to his knees in the hallway, breathing as steadily as he could through his nose and trying to keep his emotions under control, but it wasn't working. The walls were closing in on him, he was sad and frustrated, and so, so miserable, but he was fine just minutes ago. He didn't know what was happening, where he was, everything was hopeless, he was never going to escape this, he was…"okay, I need you to take a deep breath, then we're going to hold it for four seconds then let it out on six."

He followed the directions, breathing in deep and holding it as the voice slowly counted to four, gentle hands combing through his hair and soothing him. The voice told him to release his breath and he did, counting to six along with them and they repeated the exercise three more times till he was fully calmed down. 

"That was such a bad idea, I completely forgot about your empathy, I'm so, so sorry Dave." He opened his eyes and gentle emerald irises met his. He was relieved that they were actually real this time, that he wasn't going to wake up and have it all be a dream. 

"No, I'm sorry I-" he tried to say but Klaus pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head. 

"I fucked up this time, don't you dare apologize. Now let's go find somewhere else to fool around...if you're still up for it, that is?"

Dave thought for a moment, he was still shaken up with that literal tsunami of negative energy soaking every inch of that room. Just looking at it made his stomach flip inside out, seeing the mass of inky black swimming from corner to corner like it was a conscious entity of its own. The whole mansion had an odd mixture of energy, but this room right here was the densest accumulation of negativity he's ever seen, so much so, that he could recognize it as something he'd felt from the front door. Yeah, it was going to take him some time to shake that off.

"Can we...just cuddle instead?" He asked, internally cringing at how lame he must sound, but Klaus just squeezed his hand and pulled him down the hall. 

"We can always cuddle instead." He said, like it was an obvious given he should have known and maybe it was.  
_________________________

Klaus honestly hadn't taken into consideration about how absolutely fucking depressing his childhood room might be and for him to take an empath to it? He felt like a total shit head, the BBQ was already off to a rocky start, he didn't know what he was thinking. Well, he was thinking about getting frisky in his childhood room and sticking it to the old man, cause Klaus knows nothing but sleeping and crying was aloud there, but that plan sure fell through. Now, he just wanted to get this day over and done with so they could go home and relax. It would be at least another three hours till they could get away with sneaking off, but he supposed this little bit of alone time together in-between wasn't so bad either. 

"Klaus?"

"Hmm?" He looked up from where his head rested against Dave's chest, his eyebrows raised in question. 

"I can feel your anxiety and I just wanted you to know that I'm really enjoying spending time with you here and I would do this everyday if it means I get to stay with you." Dave smiled softly down at him and Klaus could honestly say he returned that sentiment. His family was a chaotic mess, but Dave being here with him, made things actually bearable. He was like a safety blanket he could snuggle into when things got to be too much and Klaus never thought he would ever have something like that, that wasn't drugs. Dave was so much better than drugs. 

"There you two are, the food is done and Vanya just arrived, we've got some announcement to make and it's imperative the whole family is there." Five flashed in to say, then flashed out just as quickly. Dave was starting to think this was going to become old hat real quick. 

______________________________

"Me and Vanya are in the process of suing Mr Preston Lloyd." Five proudly stated at the dinner table, Vanya and Audry were sat down next to him, their hands held together with matching smiles at the news. 

"Wait! Who? Why? Since when are you a lawyer?" Luther stood up, looking alarmed and puzzled as he glanced between Five and Vanya. 

"It was all over the news Luther, Vanya was targeted and attacked by some internet personality." Allison tried to coax him back down to his seat, but he shook his head seeming even more confused. 

"You should have told us." He admonished Vanya, who shrunk back into her seat on reflex.

Klaus took one look at Audry across from him and squeezed Dave's hand in warning, already knowing this was the designated drama for the evening.

"We should get out of-" he leaned in to tell him just as Adury burst from her chair, her face hard with that sassy tilt in her hips that screamed mean girl mode activated. 

"Maybe she didn't feel comfortable telling you, since you guys barely pay her any mind!" Audry was fuming, Vanay tried to tug her back much like Allison was doing with Luther, but it was futile. 

"Oh my God, they're both alphas." Klaus stage whispered, never having seen anyone outside of their family go toe to toe with Luther so quickly. If Diego were here, he was damn sure even he would say Audry had some giant balls. 

"Sh-should we step in?" Dave asked under his breath, his eyes glued to the scene despite his growing concern.

Klaus, just as enraptured as Dave, shook his head, "Let's give it a few more minutes, I kinda want to see where this goes." 

"Excuse me, but last I checked you and Vanya just recently got together, so who the hell are you to say anything about us and how we treat our sister?" Luther squared his shoulders, as if he would ever need to seem even more imposing on a woman more than half his height.

Audry didn't back down though, she took a deep breath and slowly released it through her nose, Klaus watched as Vanya whent wide eyed at the motion. Dave was perplexed at the panic rising in Vanya, but he stayed silent and continued to watch the trainwreck of a family BBQ. 

"Audry don't." Vanya demanded curtly, but Audry didn't listen. 

"I've only known Vanya for a short time and we've been girlfriends for even shorter, but believe me when I say I know and care about her WAY MORE, then you. I didn't even know Vanya when the attack happened and I made the effort to check on her! Where the hell were you!? It was all over the news, for God's sake even your brother was on the news! He got shot in the chest and almost died! And you wanna act all surprised that-" 

Klaus froze,- "Okay, now we step in." -He said, getting out of his chair, ready to pick Adury off the floor and place her and her motor-mouth in another room. 

"Klaus what does she mean!" Luther turned to him just as he stood up, Dave not liking the growing haze of red over the guy stood up too, ready to step in front of Klaus at any moment. 

"Heh, well, would it suffice to say that was also all over the news big guy?" Klaus rubbed the back of his neck, his nerves fraying as he waited for his big brother to respond. He definitely felt safer when Diego was with him at these things, but the love struck bastard moved to LA with Patch the moment she got transferred. 

"The hell is going on with all of you!" Luther burst out, looking close to tears. -"first Five comes back and he's all old, then I learn Vanya got hurt and is also a lesbian and then you got shot apparently and I just want to be there for you guys, but no one talks to me." He looked at everyone in utter misery, then quickly whipped his eyes and quietly left the dining room. 

"It's been hard on him since he got back from the moon, I'll go talk to him." Allison winced, turning to chase after him and leaving everyone else in stunned silence. 

"God, he's like a hormonal teenager." Five rolled his eyes, sitting back down in his seat and taking a bite of his potato salad. 

"I...I feel bad now." Adury slowly sat back down too, shivering at the heavy glare she could feel coming from Vanay next to her. 

"Next time I say don't, I. mean. don't." 

Klaus and Dave were the last to sit back down, Klaus sighing dramatically as he did. "Well that's out of the way, all that's left is the fire and this time it won't be me." 

"Did she just say he came from the moon?" Dave asked, his brain still catching up to what had just happened. 

"Yeah, he was on the moon for like, four years, he's still pretty torn up about it, but like, I spent the majority of my childhood in a mousuliam and I turned out fine." Klaus grinned, stuffing a bite of sausage into his mouth.

"Klaus sweety, you'll never get big and strong with just that on your plate, here have some more potato salad." Grace chidded, plopping down another helping onto his plate before walking off to repeat the same thing to everyone else at the table, serving out a heap of potato salad no matter what her guests said, even Ben, who wasn't corpal at the moment but still had a plate of food at the table next to Five and Vanya. 

"MOoooooooOm, you can't stuff us all full of potato salad just cause you made too much!" 

"Shush dear, it's a mother's job to feed her children." 

__________________  
END


	2. We can eat chicken soup.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus falls Ill due to his compromised immune system from his previous years of drug abuse. Dave, worried and not sure how to take care of him calls in Grace to mother Klaus back to health. He learns that though Grace looks young and well, she too is aging in her own way, it makes him think of his own mother and how long it's been since he's seen her, he opens up to Klaus about what happened between him and his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW, this chapter gets a little deeper into Dave's past and alcoholism. Grace makes chicken soup, she's trying her best and we appreciate her. A little bit of Klaus wump, but I tried to keep that from being the main focus of the chapter. A lot gets discussed in this chapter and I just kinda want to give Dave a hug for what I'm putting him through. 
> 
> I edit the best I can on my own, apologies for any spelling and or grammar errors I might have missed.

Ch 2. We can eat chicken soup. 

It started with a sneeze, that turned into a sniffle, that progressed into a runny nose, that developed into a sore throat, that finally snowballed into a fever three days later.

"I'm not sick." Klaus groaned through his congested airways. He was laid in bed, his face flushed with a sheen of sweat collecting at his hairline. Dave wiped it away with a damp washcloth, his chest twinging with something bitter sweet at how much this reminded him of the first time he'd taken care of Klaus like this. 

"That's what you've been saying for the last three days sweetheart, but you're 102 fever begs to differ." He glanced back over at the thermometer on the night side stand and frowns; He wasn't a medical professional, but he knew anything above 100 degrees was reason for concern, he just wasn't certain how much concern was currently warranted. Klaus looked….well he looked sick as a dog, but not in need of a hospital. At least, he hoped he didn't need one. He just wasn't sure and that was where most of his anxiety was stemming from. This felt different from last time, Klaus was sober and not suffering from withdrawal sickness and somehow he felt a little out of his depth with how quickly this had already progressed. 

"Maybe we should call Grace." He said, sitting down beside Klaus on the bed after pulling his phone out from his pocket. 

Klaus huffed a weak laugh, his accompanying smile even weaker, "I'm a grown adult Dave, I don't…..I don't need my….my"- Klaus struggled through a fit of hacking coughs, his eyes red and watering as his shoulders shook with the intensity of them. Dave set his phone down and grabbed him the glass of water from the bedside stand, passing it over. 

"I'm a grown adult Dave, I don't need my mommy for a little cold." Klaus finally got out after a few sips from the glass. 

Dave shook his head, "You need someone Klaus, at least someone who knows a little more than I do and you don't want me to take you to the hospital either, do you? Cause that's exactly what I'll do if you get any worse." 

Klaus pursed his lips, silently taking Dave's words into consideration, "I love you, but I hate it when you make sense." 

Dave smiled, taking the confirmation for what it was and picking up his phone again, heading out of the room to dial Grace.

"Also, ask her if she can make me soup, my mommy makes the best chicken soup." Klaus groggily calls after him from the bed. Dave couldn't tell if he was being ironic this time, he shrugged it off though, cause who was he to say no to his sick boyfriend. 

______________________________

"I'm so glad you called me, David." Grace strided into the condo, two large grocery bags held at her sides.

"Yeah, I thought it would be best to have someone with a little more credentials then me to take a look at him and who better to call then a mother, right?" He chuckles nervously, he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Grace looked almost younger then he and Klaus, let alone she was a legitimate A.I, but Dave wasn't scared of her. He probably had every right to be, but he trusted Klaus and his family. Well most of his family, he was still warming up to Luther and Diego, Diego more so than Luther at this point. 

"I was programmed by Sir Reganald Hargreeves with the highest medical knowledge and procedures for the soul purpose of treating and prolonging the life of his adopted subjects one through seven." She drones out blankly before abruptly snapping her head to him, a slow serene smile spreading over her face, "You have a lovely home, David." 

He smiles tightly back, taking a small step away as Grace marched into his kitchen to set up shop, dropping the grocery bags heavily onto the table. "Now, where's my little boy? I need to check his temperature." 

Dave frowned at that, he knew Grace was a bit of an oddball like the rest of the Hargreeves, but she seemed off, more so then he last seen of her, but then again, he might be reading too much into it, he didn't want to risk offending Klaus by asking about it. 

____________________________________

"Oh no, 103 baby, you're burning up!" Grace exclaimed, pulling her hand back from his head and scurrying to the kitchen. Dave watched her leave, turning back to Klaus with an incredulous expression. 

"Yep, we didn't have thermometers in our house, cause she could just touch our heads and know." Klaus chuckled, his face fully flushed with the highest fever he's had all day, he was nasally with congestion and seemed to pant between scentanes and Dave knew just how terrible he truly felt. 

"Should I?" He started, jingling his car keys in his pocket. He didn't want to, knew what a shit show it was last time Klaus went to the ER, but he would if he needed to.

"N-no, mom, mom's already here, she won't let you take me anyway, it's like in her wiring to stop us from ever being admitted to a hospital. At least let her feel like she's helped and if by then my fever hasn't gone down, you can take me." 

Dave nodded in agreement, already hearing Grace's footsteps coming back down the hall. 

"You need to take your medicine baby, I'll give you an apple juice if you do." Grace crouched down by Klaus' side, a spoon of medicine in her hand and a kids apple juice box in her other. He looked at it, then made eye contact with Klaus over Grace's shoulder, eyebrows raised in question. Klaus looked just as amused as he did, obviously catching on to Grace's strange behavior as much as he was. 

"Be a good boy and open your mouth." Grace chidded sweetly, Klaus squeezed his eyes shut and sighed, opening his mouth for Grace and swallowing the cherry flavoured medicine. So far, Kluas was okay taking over the counter drugs when he was sick, but only as long as he had someone there to monitor him. It was a long emotional conversation they'd had together about what they'd do if Klaus ever found himself in a similar situation to what had happened in the hospital. Dave was beyond glad that Klaus actually trusted him enough to make decisions regarding his health like that, even if the responsibility of it sorta scared him more then he'd like to admit. 

"Good job, here's your juice sweety, the medicine should make you a little drowsy, so go ahead and take a little nap and when you wake up, I'll have chicken soup for you." Grace stroked his hair and kissed his forehead before standing up to go start on the soup in the kitchen. Dave waited till she was out of earshot before coming over to Klaus. 

"Is...she?" He started, afraid to voice his concern, but he felt like Klaus had caught on to the same things he'd been noticing.

"Yeah, no, she's not all there at the moment, she gets like this sometimes. Pogo said it was just her parts aging and seeing as dad was the one who made her, there's no real way to replace or fix them." Klaus replied solemnly, poking the straw into his juice box.

"So, it's like... Alzheimer's in a way." He concluded. He never would have thought something like that could happen to Grace. He had actually been jealous of the Hargreeves, thinking that they had a forever mother, but now that he thought about it, everything ages, even an A.I. It was actually really sad, to have to watch your mother deteriorate in front of you, even though she looked so healthy. With his mom, he at least saw when her mental health was getting bad and he thinks that maybe made it easier, instead of the rude reminder that only the surface was well, a constant betrayal of your expectations. 

"That's how I came to terms with it, she probably thinks I'm like six right now, if the juice box was anything to go by." Klaus grinned, taking a thoughtful sip from it,-"she used to bribe us with these when we were younger all the time. Take our medicine? Juice box. Go to training? Juice box. Get our weekly blood tests? Juice box."

Dave cringed at that last one, he forgets how much worse the Hargreeves had it. Sure they were rich and famous, but very few people knew what went on behind closed doors and Dave was certain that if they did, then someone would have intervened early on. He wanted to comfort Klaus, but he wasn't upset, he was actually content and even nostalgic as he sat there, sick in bed, sipping from his little box of apple juice. 

"Man, I forget how good these were, you wanna maybe go check if mom has anymore? Dad only let us have one a month if we really ever did need the bribing." Klaus asked brightly, shaking his empty box up at him. He smiled, seeing a light yellow hue coloring Klaus aura, he was so happy and nostalgic for something Dave never really gave much thought to in his own childhood. He wished for all the world he could just soak up that carefree spirit of his and be able to face his past just as easily. He thinks maybe one day he would, cause Klaus makes him feel brave like that. 

"Yeah, I can go check." He said, ruffling his hair lightly, then leaning down to place his own kiss to klaus' forehead. 

Walking into the kitchen, Grace was busy at the stove, chopping vegetables and simmering a pot of water. He moved to the bags still on the table and shifted through them, finding the package of juice boxes and the medicine she had given Klaus. "Children's Benadryl, ages four through six?" -he read under his breath, brows scrunched in concern. He didn't think this would be efficient enough to fight Klaus' fever, he would have to take him to hospital after all if nothing really did change. 

"What did I say about looking through the groceries? If you're hungry, you have to tell me, Luther. I'll make you something to eat once I'm done with your brother's soup, he's very sick right now." Grace chidded, not turning away from the stove once. Dave startled, almost dropping the medicine in his hand. 

"Uh, no, I'm, I'm Dave, remember?" He said, not certain with what to do in the situation. Grace turned around and looked at him, her gaze curious before going vacant, almost as if she were recalibrating to her surroundings. 

"Ah, David, can you hand me the parsley please?" She asked brightly. Dave nodded, grabbing it and walking over to hand it to her, the juice box still in his other hand. She looked down at it then back at him. 

"Oh, is Klaus asking for another juice box? That little boy is always trying to bargain, I guess it wouldn't hurt just this once, but don't let his father know." She smiles secretively, her voice just above a whisper, like they really did have somebody to hide from and Dave could only nod and smile sadly back, cause this was just another glimpse into klaus' childhood, if you could really even call it that. It made his heart hurt knowing a couple juice boxes a month were the highest barging chip for all the shitty things no child should have had to live through. A fucking juice box was possibly his happiest childhood memory and that was sad enough to make Dave tear up right then and there.

"Yeah, definitely." 

____________________________________

Later on, Klaus and Dave sit at the table, Grace spooning out generous helpings of chicken soup for each of them. It was actually some of the best soup he's had in a very long time. It reminded him of his grandmother's Matzo ball soup and how she would make it for him almost every day. 

"Matzo ball soup is the best for a hangover, David." She would say, sliding a bowl of it towards him at the kitchen table, a knowing twinkle in her eye. Dave would chuckle and take the soup gladly, cause of course grandma would know, she's had a lifetime of hangover's to sooth with soup. He probably should have recognized the parallels at the time, should have been alarmed that she was essentially holding his hand down the very same path she wasted away on, the one that landed his father in prison with no chance of parole and even when her liver finally gave out, Dave still kept going, eating a bowl of Matzo ball soup for every hangover in her honor. They didn't have Matzo ball soup in rehab and he hasn't had a bowl of it in six years, Grace's soup though, it came close and he wasn't the least bit surprised when he finished the whole bowl. 

"Did you and your little friend like the soup sweety?" Grace asked sweetly, grabbing Dave's spotless and Klaus' half eaten bowls off the table and setting them in the sink.

"Mom, I'm thirty fucking years old." Klaus deadpanned, quickly starting to get tired of the literal babying. It was fun in the beginning when he was getting forehead kisses and juice boxes, but he crossed the line at Dave being called his 'little friend'. That was his big, very adult, boyfriend, thank you very much. 

"Now Klaus, there's no need for naughty language, no matter how cranky your fevers making you." Grace scolded lightly, not paying any mind to the sniggering Dave beside her. 

"Speaking of which, cranky boy, we should probably take your temperature again." Dave scooted out from the table and grabbed the thermostat from the room, coming back to pop it in Kluas's mouth. Still chuckling at his boyfriend's expense as he waited for it to beep. He pulled it out and the mirth was quickly sucked right out of him. 105? That was high, that was two whole points higher than last time, Klaus wasn't just not getting better, he was getting worse. A fever this high could kill you, right? His heart was beating out of his chest, the soup wasn't working, the medicine wasn't working, the bedrest wasn't working. 

"This isn't working, Klaus you need a hospital, come on, I'll grab my keys." He turned around to go collect everything they would need, not listening to klaus' protests and calls to stop, he wasn't paying attention to much of anything until he felt a cold hand grab his wrist in a vice grip.

"I'm sorry David, but I can't allow you to do that, I am the only one permitted to treat the subjects of Sir Reginald Hargreeves." Was the last thing he heard before he was heaved into the air, everything going black as he collided with the hardwood floor of his condo. 

_______________________________________

"Five, mom won't leave, call her and tell her you're sick." Klaus panted, his sweaty head leaned against the wall as he sat on the tiled bathroom floor, idaly combing through Dave's hair from where his head layed pillowed in his lap. 

"Why in the hell would I do that?" Five griped down the line, he had been in the middle of a lovely romantic lunch with Daloris when his phone started to ring. 

Klaus groaned, his head throbbing and his vision blury as he struggled to stay alert,"Cause she fucking judo flipped Dave and we've  
been hiding from her in the bathroom for the last half hour!!'

Five massaged his temple and shook his head, even though Klaus couldn't see it, he could definitely hear the exasperation in his voice when he asked, "Well, what did Dave do?" 

"He tried taking me to the hospital!! I have a 105 fever and she thinks I'm a baby or something and keeps giving me fucking juice boxes and soup and kids medicine that's not working!!" Klaus yelled through the phone, he was achy and quickly losing energy and Five's smarter than thou attitude, while Grace was literally pacing like a caged animal in front of the bathroom door, was only putting a spike in his already very spiked anxiety.

"Alright, put Dave on the phone, I'll tell him how to disarm her." Five finally relented, not liking the fear and urgency in klaus' tone. 

"I can't, he's unconscious still.",Klaus whimpered, on the verge of tears with how shitty and stressed he felt,

A beat of silence, then a deep sigh resonated from the phone speaker, followed by Five angrily gritting out "Dammit! You owe me!" 

He hung up, seconds later outside the door Klaus could hear a phone ring, then Grace's pacing stops. "Hello?" -she answers. 

He strains his ears, but he can hear Five on the other end of the call cough a few times, not convincing one bit might he add, before a very uninspiring whine of, "mommy, I'm sick, come home." A few more fake coughs added in, "I feel so icky….. mommy." 

"Oh course sweetheart, I'll be right there, I bought juice boxes too and I'll make soup." He hears her retreating steps down the hall, then rustling in the kitchen. 

"I'm going home to take care of your brother klaus, he seems to have caught a bit of a bug too!" Grace calls from the front door, then it closes and Kluas breathes a sigh of relief. 

"Okay, let's get you to bed." He says, looking down at Dave, who still hasn't woken up yet. 

"Mom really did a number on you." He gently lays Dave's head down on the floor, then uses the wall to pull himself up, he's wobbly and needs a minute to adjust as the room feels like it's tipping on its axis. He wasn't looking forward to moving Dave all the way to the bed in his current state, but he'd fucking try.   
___________________________________

Hours later and Dave wakes up in a sweat, warm limbs tangled in his and what feels like five layers of blankets holding him down. His head throbs and he takes a moment to access his surroundings, he's in bed and it's dark. He looks to his side and he sees Klaus fast asleep next to him  
He sighs in relief, cause he'll never get tired of waking up beside klaus. He smiles and reaches down to cup the side of his face, then immediately pulls it back, cause Klaus' is too warm to the touch and he's quickly remembering why. 

"Shit!" He gets out of bed and rushes to grab the thermometer. He'd left it in the kitchen from the last time he'd taken his temperature, just before he'd attempted to take Klaus to the hospital, before Grace flipped him ass over kettle and he'd lost who knows how many hours out of the day he could have been taking care of Klaus. 

"How'd you get me all the way to bed?" He asks klaus' sleeping form, once he gets back with the thermometer. He didn't get much response besides an eyebrow scrunch and a sleepy groan. He grabs his shoulder and gives it a little shake, but Klaus wasn't waking, which was alarming, cause Klaus was the lightest sleeper he ever met. He looked down at the thermometer and back at Klaus, trying to think of how else he could take his temperature if he couldn't get him to hold it under his tongue. 

It was times like this he wished he still had a relationship with his mother, cause then he'd just call her up and she'd tell him what to do and not karate flip him like the last mother they sought help from. One Google search later and Dave was lifting up Klaus' arm and sticking the thermometer between his armpit and lowering it back down. Thirty one years old and Dave hadn't thought you could take your temperature there. It wasn't the most accurate reading you could get, but aside from under Klaus' tongue it was the least invasive of options Web MD had given him. He wonders if his mom had ever done it this way with him and his sister's, cause he honestly couldn't remember. 

The beeping of the thermometer broke him out of his thoughts, he looks at it and nearly swallows his tongue. 106, Klaus undoubtedly needs a hospital. He scarmabels to grab Klaus out of bed and rush him to the car, he snags his keys on the way out, his heart beating out of his chest the whole way, cause he had no idea how long his fever had been this high. 

Two hours later, Dave sits on the edge of Klaus' hospital bed. He was connected once again to a bag of fluids, sans morphine this time. He has a hand gripping Klaus' ankle through the bed sheets over top of him, he squeezes the flesh and bone there, reminding himself that Klaus isn't disappearing, no matter how scared he is that he will. He was just starting to come down from the adrenaline high that got the two of them here, the rush and panic that had Dave running into the hospital with Klaus' in his arms, begging for help. Nurses were quick to place Klaus onto a gurney and Dave had to fight the urge to fight them. It was like the convention all over again. He thought after the last time Klaus was admitted to the hospital he would have gotten over it, but he's starting to think he might have lagitment trauma connected to the incident. In the end, he was able to hold himself back and let the nurses do their job, Klaus was taken to a room and given a large dose of fever reducers and some fluids, then left to sleep it off. 

Everything was fine, the medicine was doing its job, Klaus was alright now. This was going to happen more often than not due to klaus' past with drugs and how it's deteriorated his immune system, didn't keep Dave from wanting to cry though, cause he really was so, so scared for the briefest moment that everything was happening. He found himself, in this very moment wanting more than anything a little bit of support, some advice, like those parables his grandfather would recite when life was getting tough for them. He realized he desperately wanted his family, he desperately wanted his mom.

"God, I miss her." He breathed out, his eyes watering as he tried to think what she would do in a situation like this but couldn't come up with anything. He likes to think that even at this age, he still knows his mother, but everything before Preston feels so far away, like it wasn't real, cause it wasn't Preston and it makes him sick to his stomach, cause he knows now, that that's not normal. 

"Who?" 

He startled, looking up he saw Klaus was finally awake. -"My, my mom, I miss my mom."-He admits quietly, never able to hide much from Klaus. 

It was silent for a moment, Klaus stretches his hand out, silently asking for Dave to grab it. Dave happily does, their fingers grasped together as he softly asks, "Was she a good mom?" 

Dave nods, a sad smile quirking at his lips,"She…. wasn't a bad mother, I think, I think she just didn't know how to handle me when she hardly knew how to handle herself."- he chews the inside of his cheek, so many words and thoughts wanting to tumble out of him, things he'd been so scared to think let alone say out loud, but here with Klaus, he's never felt more comfortable expressing them- "I miss her, but I haven't seen my mother since I was twenty five."- He finally said, a weight lifting off his shoulders that he had never known was there. Had he been carrying that for six fucking years!? God, he could only imagine what else he had still hanging over his head. 

"What happened, Dave?" Klaus whispers, gripping his hand, his touch still clammy from the fever. 

He shook his head,-"It was so stupid.",-his eyes glassy and his throat tight, but Klaus only smiled reassuringly back at him, -"I wasn't being the best son, she was letting me get away with so much for so long, then I got my first DUI and her and my sisters decided to intervene." 

___________________________________

"What the hells going on?" He walked into the living room, his mother and two sisters were on the couch, looking at him in odd expressions he couldn't decipher. He wished he could see or feel what they were feeling, but he wasn't quite there yet. 

"David, sit down, we need to talk to you." His mom commanded, her tone hard in a way he hadn't heard her use since he was a child. 

"I don't think I want to." He replied, shaking his head and trying to make it across the room to the front door. 

"David, you leave through that door, you'll never be allowed home again!" His mother boomed, he stopped and turned around, not understanding where the severity in her tone was coming from. 

"Why!?, What's going on with you guys!?" Nothing was making sense, his head was fuzzy and his chest felt heavy and he didn't like it, he just wanted to leave, but he wanted to be able to come back too. 

"Dave, you're drunk right now, you shouldn't be leaving the house anyway." Came Devon's response, she was the oldest and the most critical, analytical one. Dave zeroed in on her and scoffed, stumbling over to the only open chair in the room, a worn out recliner in the far corner, it belonged to their father and no one's sat in it since he left. 

"I'm not...I'm not drunk, im-im hungover." He struggled out, rubbing a hand over his face. 

"You sound drunk Dave, you look drunk, and you're like this almost everyday, we're scared." That was Destiny, only twenty months younger than her sister and definitely the more expressive of the two.

Dave groaned,"oh my God, I'm fine! I work and I pay the bills and I look after mom, while you guys are off getting your degrees. I do all that during the day, then at night I relax and sometimes I come home drunk, but I don't need all this! Cause I'm fine!" 

"You are literally drunk right now, you're drunk from sun up to sun down, we hardly know who you are anymore. I mean for Christ sakes, we had to bail you out for a DUI last night, do you have any idea what that means to us?!" Destiny cried, tears running down her face. Dave didn't mean to make her cry and she was right, he was still drunk and that was precisely why he didn't actually have any idea what it meant, not one at all. 

"It-it won't happen again." He promised, hoping that was all they needed to leave him alone. 

"You're damn right it won't, cause you're sobering up! From now on no more alcohol. I don't want it in my house, I don't want it in your body, don't wanna see it, smell or, or even hear it!" His mother barked from her seat in-between his sisters on the couch, her face a hard mask that Dave hardly recognized. She was angry, he could tell that much without his empathy and it scared him, cause she's never looked at him like that before.

Even so, he still shot out of his chair, looking at her like she had just sentenced him to death. "What? No! Ma, you can't just stop me from drinking, I'm twenty five, I'm a grown adult!" 

"Then you can get out of my house!" She screamed back, he staggered a step, confused and feeling betrayed with the way he was being treated. He didn't get it, he just didn't understand why he was being yelled at like this when he did everything for her. 

"I'm the one who pays the water, the electricity, the cable, the internet! I buy the food and everything else to keep you comfortable, cause you can't fucking do it yourself! How are you going to kick me out!?" He growled, fists clenched at his sides, holding himself back from storming out like he so badly wanted to do. 

"Dave, calm the fuck down!" Devon stood up too, stance braced to hold him back if she needed to, but even drunk, Dave wouldn't lash out like that, at least he hoped to god he never did. He stepped back, breathing heavy under the excursion it took him to stay upright and focused. 

"I don't see how you can expect me to be calm, when you're all threatening to kick me out of my home, the home that wouldn't be here if I didn't work hard to maintain it for us!" His eyes collected with tears, he was frustrated, nothing was making sense, they'd been fine with him and his drinking habits for so long, but now it was an issue? 

"You're turning into your father David." His mom calmly stated, tears gathering in her eyes and it was like a punch to the gut, all the air leaving him at once. 

"I'm-im not, I'm fine. I'd never be like him." He shook his head, slouching back down into the recliner finally, his blood rushing passed his ears. 

"You got a DUI Dave, that's exactly what happened to dad, except you got lucky. Take this as your fucking wake up call and get sober." Devon came to crouch down in front of him, looking him in the eyes and Dave could see she was crying too. He only ever saw Devin cry a total of three times in his whole life, once when their dad had been taken into custody, the second when their grandma died, and the third when grandpa soon followed. This... this was serious. 

Lifting his head, he looked at them, all three of them, his mind clearing and their auras coming into full view. They were so dark, so blue, it was just like the night those police came to tell him about his dad, the same aura that hung over his mom for months, except it was the rest of his family. 

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He cried, finally understanding what this all meant.   
______________________________________

"Wait, but that was like a hopeful ending, it doesn't sound like you guys would have lost contact." Klaus frowned, his red nose scrunched up in confusion. 

Dave chuckled and wiped away his falling tears with the heel of his hand. "That's cause it's not the end. No, I stayed sober for a week, came home drunk once and they packed me up and shipped me off to the nearest rehab, my mom gave me one last phone call and told me to not come home unless I was sober and planned to stay sober." 

"And the rest is history." Klaus added.

"And the rest is history." Dave confirmed, nodding his head, silent tears dripping down his face. 

"Do you want….to see them again?" Kluas asked hesitantly, thumb rubbing small circles over the top of his hand.

He shrugged,"I don't know.", it wasn't like he'd never thought about, it was just that, -" it's been so long, they basically abandoned me, they might not even want to see me and it's not like they ever tried to get into contact with me, at least, I don't think they did."-at this point in his life, he wouldn't put it past Preston for ever having tried to curve his families attempts to reconnect. The only time he'd told Preston about his family and what happened, he'd vehemently told him how toxic his family was and how forgiveness should be off the table and he'd believed it for six years just about. Now that he was with Klaus though and seeing how him and his family still made an effort for each other, as fucked up as they were, it was legitimately inspiring. 

"You'll never know unless you try and see for yourself." Klaus rasped, a slow encouraging smile on his lips. Dave couldn't help but smile back, his chest aching with how different Klaus was compared to Preston.

"Yeah, but, what if, what if my mom isn't even alive? Could I live with myself knowing she died and I had no idea?" He hadn't thought about it, but now that he was, it churned his stomach in a painfully tight knot of anxiety. 

Klaus shrugged, tipping his head from side to side, "Honestly it's up to you Dave, but I'm not the best person to ask, cause I'm not going to lie, I may have danced on my father's grave a little bit."

"Klaus!" 

"I said just a little bit." He shot back, but he was still grinning despite himself. 

He sighed, going for exasperated but it came out completely fond, like it always did,"I thought you were supposed to have respect for the dead?" 

Klaus scoffed,"He locked me in a mausoleum, Dave." 

Well, he couldn't argue that, "God, you're dad was a monster." 

"That he was Dave, that he was."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I make Dave look like more of an asshole then I'm intending when I get into his alcoholism and stuff, but I just really want him to be a very human character like Klaus is, but for extra clarification, Dave was never a violent drunk, more of an asshole drunk, he just fears that he might have been in case parts of the flash back came by as alluding to that. Definitely got down with the wump in this one, I was originally going to write it to where Klaus' fever went down after Dave woke up, but then I thought it wouldn't have been realistic since he went through all that exsertion getting Dave back to bed, but this will be the only wumpy story for them since the first fic was chuck full of Klaus wump. Also, I feel like the thermometer in the armpit bit is very common knowledge, but Dave just couldn't think of it cause Grace banged him around beforehand. Comments and constructive criticism always welcome.


	3. We can get a puppy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave meets up with his old best friend, a lot has changed for her, but he welcomes it with open arms. They get to talking over lunch and she presents Dave with the opportunity of getting a puppy, something he's always wanted since he was child, but old anxieties creep up and get the best of him, he asks for more time to decide as he works on building up the courage to bring it up to Klaus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw for homophobic language and emotional abuse. 
> 
> Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes I might have missed.

He was meeting up with an old friend, someone he hasn't seen since his stay in rehab, six years ago. They bumped into each other one morning while running errands in the market, he almost hadn't recognized her cause…."So you go by Hanna now?" - he asked over lunch that following evening, a giant smile on his face. He was astonished and overjoyed to be seeing her again. 

Hanna grinned, he could feel she was anxious and yet she wore such a confident face as she flicked her platinum blond hair behind her shoulder, "that's Mrs Hanna Isabel Godfrey to you."- She playfully corrected, holding up her hand and showing off the massive rock on her ring finger. 

"Oh my God, that's gorgeous! Who? When? How long?" He marveled at the size of the sparkly diamond, it had two smaller blue crystals on the side, all connected to a Sterling silver band. He hadn't seen her in years, but he just knew that ring was all her and he wanted nothing more than to thank the person who bought it for doing so well by her. 

"His name's Arnold, he's an architect with his own firm in the city, we met four years ago, dated for three and he proposed last year. We got married just this spring actually." She had the dreamiest look in her eyes, and he could feel just how happy she truly was. It made him think of Klaus and how happy they were. He hoped that one day the two of them got to the very same point Hanna was with her spouse. 

"We even adopted a dog!" She added, breaking him out of his own little daydream. 

He raised his eyebrows, leaning back in his seat,-"Really? Never thought you were a dog person." -He remembered his old friend's long time aversion to anything furry and on four legs, so he was certainly surprised at the genuine excitement she had. 

Hanna shrugged, "Eh, I wasn't much of an animal person to begin with, but Arnold loves dogs and I don't exactly hate them, so we agreed to adopt a rescue and brought home this fluffy little Yorkie Terrier mix. He loves her to death and well, I love anything Arnold loves. We were meaning to get her fixed, but when we took her to the vet we found out she was pregnant. She had the puppies a few months ago and so far we have a couple of friends who agreed to take them in, but we have two left over that still don't have homes, do you think you might be able to…"

Dave wasn't sure what to say, he had wanted a dog ever since he was a kid, didn't matter what breed or where it came from, but his mom had a phobia in correlation with her agoraphobia, so they only ever had cats in the house. Then life and his addiction got in the way and that led him to Preston who shot the notion down everytime till eventually he just gave up hope. Now, here was his chance, he could say yes and finally bring home a lifelong aspiration of his, but- "I, I'm not sure Hanna, I'm living with someone right now...a new boyfriend actually and I don't know how he feels about dogs, I'd have to see what he says first." 

Hanna gaped, "You're not with Preston?!" 

"No, we broke up months ago." He wrung his hands together, still plagued with the waves of anxiety that even the mention of that particular relationship brought him. God, he had no idea what a nightmare Preston was and he almost tied the knot with it. 

Hanna grinned big and manic, throwing her hands up to the sky and shouting, -"Praise the fucking lord!",- drawing the attention of everyone else in the restaurant. He smiled weakly in response to them, mouthing a silent sorry before they went back to their respective meals. 

"Can't say I didn't miss your enthusiasm." He chuckled, his cheeks still red at the minute embarrassment of having all those eyes on him, but already starting to remember what a firecracker Hanna was. They really did get into quite a bit of trouble when they were younger and he was honestly relieved to see that spark in her never went out. He'd say it was actually even brighter than before now that she was finally herself.

Hanna surprisingly did look a little sheepish at her own outburst, but smoothly brushed it off with a roll of her eyes, "I'm sorry Dave, but Prestons was a major P.M.A and I tried my best to get you to see it."

Dave winced, finally able to accept that he'd made a very bad choice with Preston, "Yeah, I, I was stubborn." 

Hanna gasped, "You were a bull headed mule is what you were! Now please tell me about this miracle man that saved you from that evil little gremlin.", She demanded, slapping her hands down on the table and startling the daylights out of him,

He sighed, happy to switch the subject away from his ex,"His name is Klaus, we met a little under a year ago, some pretty wild stuff happened before we finally got together, but it all worked out and we've been officially dating for the last two months now. He moved in a little over a week ago." 

"And?" 

"Huh?" 

Hanna groaned, "Oh come on Dave, I asked about him, tell me what he's like. What's his personality, how he looks, his style, his interests and all that jazz?",She wiggled her fingers in subtle jazz hands, eyebrows moving up and down suggestively. Dave couldn't help but think her and Klaus would get along a little too well and maybe he was honestly looking forward to when they finally did meet. 

"Oh, uh, he's a little shorter than me, about six foot. He has shoulder length curly black hair and super green eyes. He's insanely creative, our apartment is filled with his paintings and art supplies, sketch books and radome photos he likes to take and print out. He hates horror but loves alternative fashion. His favorite food is waffles and he's never afraid to shop in the women's section, he looks his most comfortable in a skirt and lately he's been getting more into makeup, but I don't mind as long as he's happy." 

Hanna sat there, silent with her mouth hanging open. Dave was suddenly self conscious. Did he say something wrong? She wanted to know about Klaus and those were just the first things he could find off the top of his head. 

"What?" He finally asked, not understanding what he could have said wrong to garner such a reaction. 

Hanna blinked and shook herself out of it, "Sorry, it's just....I've never seen you so gone on a person before." 

It was Dave's turn to be surprised, his eyebrows raising as he thought on that. With as much time he spent thinking about Klaus, missing him at every moment they weren't together and just all around feeling undeniably complete when they were, well, he could conclude that he was far more than just gone on Klaus, "yeah, no, I'm definitely in love with him….I think he's my soulmate." 

Hanna melted, her eyes starry with the sweetest smile on her face, "Oh my God, Dave you're adorable! As long as he's not Preston, I fucking approve!" 

They chatted for a little while longer, catching up and pouring poetic over their respective partners. Hanna told him to think about the puppy offer and to get back to her about it as soon as possible after they exchanged contacts. He gave her his word and went on home daydreaming about having a dog of his very own. He hoped Klaus would be okay with that, he just wasn't sure how to broach the subject. In the beginning he used to just ask Preston outright, but Preston always had a way of making him feel like a little kid asking for the most. More times than he could count, he'd end up disappointed and feeling guilty for ever wanting anything in the first place. logically, he knew Klaus wouldn't treat him that way, but still, a part of him was hyper anxious, screaming 'what if? what if?' at him the whole way home. 

_______________________________

"Hay, Klaus." He fidgeted with his fork, Klaus looked up from the spaghetti he was currently shoveling into his mouth, eyebrow quirked and cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk. 

"Hmm?" He asked, quickly chewing his food. 

"Have...have you ever had any pets before?" Klaus blinked owlishly, obviously caught off guard by the random question. Dave felt his stomach sinking with how this was definitely going to play out. It was a dumb question, of course it was a dumb question. He was getting ahead of himself again. 

"Does a pet cockroach I found under my bed when I was fifteen count?" Klaus asked, immediately fanning away the self deprecating fog clouding Dave's mind. 

"Uh, I think it can, but I mean a more fuzzy and cute type pet." He answered, smiling at the way Klaus' whole face suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. 

"Oh yeah, I still have it!" He exclaimed and shot out of his chair, taking off down the hall. Dave was tempted to follow him, puzzled as to what he was talking about. 

"Klaus?" He called, but before he could get up, Klaus was already back in the dining room, the large stuffed bat he had given to him almost a year ago, clutched triumphantly in his hand. His heart swelled in his chest, he'd honestly forgotten about the toy, but Klaus still had it. 

"I named him waffle and I've slept with him every night since I've had him, but when I moved in with you I didn't really need him to hold onto since we sleep together like a couple of codependent leeches and I completely forgot about him in my suitcase." Klaus had a glow of white yellowish pride at his fluffy little friend and Dave couldn't help but turn into a happy puddle of goo at what that sentiment meant to him. 

"He helped me a lot when I was first getting sober, my family laughed at me for holding onto it like I did, but it was like a reminder for why I needed to stay sober and it's corney, but I don't think I would have made it as easily without him." Klaus was bright red, his hands ideally combing through the stuffed animal's fur and Dave was on the verge of exploding with how much he absolutely adored this man. 

"I'm so happy you made it Klaus, that you're healthy and here with me, I don't know what I'd do if you weren't." He blinked, already accepting that he'd managed to make himself cry. Klaus looked over at him, his own lip wobbling and his eyes tearing up as he slowly came to crawl into his lap and pull him into a hug. A hug that turned into tender kisses, that turned into making out, that turned into sweet sensual passion right there on the kitchen floor, Klaus' stuffed bat lain momentarily forgotten just inches away from them. 

_____________________________

It was the afternoon the next day that he got a text from Hanna, asking if he figured out his answer for the dog situation and also if he was down for a double date that Saturday. He hadn't asked Klaus about the dog yet, seeing as they had gotten distracted. He really wasn't sure how to bring it up now, if he could at all. He didn't know why this was so difficult for him, what it was that was holding him back from doing this for himself.   
Why couldn't he just talk to Klaus about it? Why was he so nervous, even though he trusted Klaus? He decided he was definitely being dumb now, he would just have to say it. Say he wanted a dog and let Klaus know that no matter what he thought, he would be getting a dog. 

"Klaus."

Klaus looked over at him from where he was leaned against the arm of the couch, his feet in Dave's lap and holding a bowl full of grapes he had been eating from while they watched TV together. 

"Yeah?" He asked, Dave had everything he wanted to say on the tip of his tounge, then a voice in the back of his head that sounded a lot like Preston told him to stop being stupid, to stop wanting things he didn't need. It told him he looked dumb and that grown men don't want puppies and for a fraction of a second, klaus' face morphed into the ugly hatfull sneer of his ex and his heart felt like it was going to burst into a million peices with how fast it was beating out of his chest. 

"An old friend of mine wants to invite us on a double date, are you interested?" He said instead, thankful his voice didn't quiver. 

Klaus frowned, "I've never been on one of those," then he gasped, a big smile lighting up his face- "I can wear my new skirt and try out that pallet Allison gave me, this is perfect!" 

All of the tension and anxiety coiling in his gut vanished, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he got caught up in klaus' growing excitement for the date. He supposed the dog would have to be a bridge they crossed when they came to it. 

____________________________________

"So, she was a friend from highschool that you lost contact with six years ago and now she's married and wants to reconnect?" Klaus clarified for the second time that night. They had just parked at the Italian restaurant they were meeting Hanna and Arnold at. Klaus was dressed in a tight mesh crop top, a deep blue maxi skirt to go with it and a pair of black heels on his feet that made him taller than dave. His eyes were smokey and shimmery with a sharp highlight on his face and his lips a deep matte red. Dave might have said he was a little overdressed for where they were going before they had left, but he honestly regretted it now, cause Klaus looked gorgeous, his eyes vibrant and popping in the contrast of his darker makeup, his already sharper features accentuated and making him look almost ethereal. 

"Not just 'a' friend, the friend, my best friend since we were sixteeneen, the one I got into the most trouble with." He corrected with a big nostalgic smile on his face while holding the door open for Klaus as they walked in. 

"Wait, but that was a-" Klaus stopped, a look of understanding dawning on him, his eyes wide as his lips formed an inaudible 'oh'. 

"Dave, we're over here!" He heard Hanna holler from a booth in the back, they both turned to see her standing up next to an older gentleman who looked up at her with the softest eyes. 

__________________________

"So nice to finally meet the mystery man of my little Davy's dreams." Hanna cooed, shaking klaus' hand across the table. -"love your makeup by the way, really makes your eyes pop, hell who am I kidding, you are like, so gorgeous!" 

Klaus actually blushed, taken aback for a moment, obviously not expecting to meet someone with a personality nearly as loud as his. Dave didn't really know what he would expect when these two would meet, maybe something akin to pouring gasoline on a fire, cause he knew they were both stray matches in their own right, fiery and uncontainable once they really got going, but he supposed it was only a matter of time before they combined their prospective natures and became the agents of chaos he knew and loved. 

"Thanks, only took me an hour, I love your dress, I've been looking for a skirt in that color for ages!" Klaus gushed, sparring him and Hanna into a lengthy discussion about fashion. It was oddly soothing to see these two parts of his life come together, his past and his future both talking and getting along.

"So, I've heard a little bit about you and Dave's wild shenanigans in highschool and I honestly can't believe that was you two, I mean you're just so classy and Dave will always be Mr straight edge to me." He heard Klaus comment, his pulse picking up cause he knew he might have divulged a little more than necessary about his and Hanna's past. 

"Oh no, I've always been a classy lady, Klaus, but just out of curiosity, what exactly did Dave tell you about me?" Hanna smirked, sending Dave a side eye before giving her attention back to klaus. 

Klaus blinked, obviously not catching on to the growing tension at the table just yet. "Let's see, there's the story about how you convinced him to steal a golf cart, the time you hid in a tree from a pig for three hours, oh and your highschool nickname." 

Hanna paused, her eyebrow quirked as she turned her gaze to Dave, eyes boring into him with laser precision. "Oh really? I wasn't aware you still remembered all of that, especially my highschool nickname." - Hanna drawled, just a hint of a threat in her voice, if Dave couldn't feel how amused she actually was, then he really would have thought she was angry.

Dave shrugged, cheeks hot under the curious gazes of everyone at the table."It came up once or twice and of course I'd remember, you were pretty notorious back in the day.", 

"I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories, that wasn't my intention, aw geez, I'm really sorry, I feel so bad now." Klaus floundered, his aura dripping with anxiety and remorse. 

Dave reached over and gripped his hand, "it's fine Klaus, she's not actually angry." 

"Oh, I'm angry all right, angry that you probably didn't tell him how you got your nickname." Hanna cut in, a dangerous gleam in her eye. His throat grew tight, he knew what game she was playing at and he wasn't going to win, he never won. 

""You had a nickname too!" Klaus turned to him, mouth open in surprise and excitement. 

"Dave says I was notorious? Oh boy Klaus, let me tell you, WE were notorious the day we got those nicknames. It was also the day we became friends." Hanna grinned, the same familiar twinkle in her eyes that Dave remembers seeing all those years ago. 

_____________________________

It was his sophomore year of highschool, his dad was gone, giving him the full time responsibility of taking care of his mother, not that he hadn't already been doing that before, it still felt different though, heavier then it had been. He was the man of the house, just like his dad had always told him; ruffling his hair on his way out the front door with a bottle of whatever in his hand. He was the man of the house, but at school, he was just Dave and it was the only place he could relax, where he only had to worry about schoolwork and happily go unnoticed by everyone as much as possible, so of course he did not appreciate anyone impeding on that. Certainly not this five foot pest currently stalking him down the hall. 

"Hey big guy, you mind sharing your notes, I like zoned out for the entirety of geometry." A waifish boy in baggy ripped jeans and a muscle shirt that was almost a crop top on him, practically jogged to keep up with his long strides down the hallway. He'd recently had a growth spurt in the last year that everything had gone down, he was broader and longer, still lanky like the pubescent he was, but since he'd started his part time job mowing and cleaning the lawns of anyone who'd pay him, he'd gained a bit of muscle that managed to turn the heads of most girls in his year. It was too bad he wasn't into girls yet, but his grandpa had told him he'd come around soon enough. 

"Hay, I'm talking to you, you know me dude! We were in algebra together and that's how I know you're super good at math, now let me copy your notes." The boy demanded, following him into the classroom and sliding into the desk right next to him, a sandy blond lock of hair falling into his face as he leaned even further into his personal space. 

"I barely know you and this isn't even your class, so lay off." He growled under his breath, not understanding why this guy was being so adamant about some stupid notes. 

"Well that can be fixed. Hi handsome, I'm Hank Barns and I know you're David Katz and I must say, you really bulked up since I last saw you." Hank grinned, squeezing his bicep, Dave had to fight the urge to flex under his touch, he didn't even show off when the girls did it, so he had no reason to with this weirdo. The blush he couldn't control though and he honestly hated himself for it. What kind of guy blushed around another guy? 

"Barns, leave Dave alone, he's not a faggot like you!" A boy in a letterman jacket called from the front of class, a group of kids behind him snickering as they walked to their seats. Hank shrunk in on himself, going quiet and subdued as he buried his head in his arms. 

Dave frowned at the way his aura turned gloomy and blue, anxiety and self consciousness radiating out of him. He tried to ignore it, it wasn't his problem and he kept telling himself that even as chatter filled the class, a lot of it in regards to Hank. 

"I hear he stalked a senior who had to get a restraining order." 

"I heard from Jason that he peeps on the boys in gym class." 

"My brother told me he wants to fuck the entire football team." Every last one, spoken just loud enough to hear, Hank's aura gradually coloring deeper and darker shades of blue, until it stopped and a new color suddenly joined the mix. 

Dave watched as Hank shot of his chair, the switch flipped and all of his self-pity and gloom transformed into red hot anger and strangly enough, pride, "Maybe I already fucked the entire football team, cause I'm a BIG, FAT, GAY, SKANK, YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" - He screamed, face red and fists shaking at his sides. 

The room was deathly silent, a teacher had just walked into the classroom and was now stood next to his desk, mouth hung open as everyone waited for the next shoe to drop. Hank's embarrassment and fear was palpable, but his pride and anger still stood strong. 

"To the principal's office, now young man!" The teacher boomed, face screwed up in disgust. Hank scoffed, sligining his backpack over his shoulder and honest to god strutted down the classroom to the door, pausing at the threshold when the teacher called out for him to stop.-"What is your name young man, are you in my class?" 

He thought for a moment, his face instantly lighting up and morphing into a smug grin before cooley stating, "my name's Hank, Hank the skank! Ta ta now."- then turning and leaving everyone in that class room in stunned silence. Dave on his part felt like he was having a religious experience, cause a lot of things he never thought about were coming into focus for him. 

"Oh my God, he's a psychopath." A couple girls whispered from behind him. 

"Did not know guys could walk like that." A boy said across from him. 

"When I find that faggot, I'm beating his face in!" The football player said in front of him. Dave's heart hammered, Hank most likely just made enemies with the entire football team. He could see that boy's casket being lowered already. School was supposed to be his safe place, where his only worries were classes and homework, he should stay out of this and let Hank get the unfortunate punishment he very much deserved, except, Dave didn't believe that at all. He didn't know where or how, but he had to find Hank before the football team did. 

________________________________

"Geeze Dave, way to throw her to the wolves, you were kind of a jerk back then." Klaus crowed, having way too much fun with this little trip down memory lane.

"Oh just you wait, I haven't even gotten to the best part yet." Hanna said, swatting Klaus' shoulder playfully to get his attention. 

Dave cringed, already knowing what was coming next. 

_______________________________________

Turns out, Dave didn't have to look for long, cause Hank would come barreling right into him as soon as the last bell rang for the day. 

"Dave! Dave! Dave! You have to hide me, sexy sweaty jocks want to tear my face off!" Hank plastered himself to him, his legs hiking up in an attempt to climb onto his shoulders for the added distance away from said sexy sweaty jocks. 

"You are such a dumbass, of course they're after you, you very vocally implied they had intercourse with you, another guy, basically saying they were gay!" He groused, trying to detach Hank's spidery limbs from his back. 

"Ew, who says intercourse and also, I'll have you know my soul is very feminine so it hardly counts as gay." Hank fake sniffled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear. 

Dave grimaced, -"that makes no sense." -he said just as the stampede of angry footballer feet could be heard stomping down the hallway. They both tensed, Dave standing straighter and shoving Hank behind him on reflex. 

"Dave!" The main guy at the front of the group called, walking closer but not yet noticing the small steps back he was taking. 

"Hay….guy?" He responded, he had no idea who this person was, or how he knew his name. 

"You see that gay skank Hank?" He asked, face formed in a permanent sneer. 

Dave shook his head, hoping his face didn't betray him, he'd never been a good lier. 

"Well, if you see him, you tell him we're looking for him and that he better be ready, cause we're going to hammer him so hard!" Dave's face went impossibly hot, cause even he could tell this dude was wording it so wrong and with the emotions Hank was emitting behind him, he knew they were both on the same page. 

"Oh, tell me more handsome?" Came Hanks sultry response from behind him. Everyone froze, the jock's eyes wide and his face beet red, a split second later and he reached around him to grab at Hank, but Dave moved quicker and blocked him, his arms spread out, keeping Hank safe between him and the wall. 

"Just leave him alone." He said firmly, staring the jock down in a show of bravery he didn't think himself capable of, maybe it was the slight height difference, Dave could tell he had an inch or two on him, or maybe he really did feel an odd sense of comradery for Hank, even as loud and flamboyant as the guy was. He supposed it didn't matter which one it was, cause there really was no backing out now, was there?

"Yeah, leave me alone Gilbert!" Hank called from behind him, still huddled and hidden, but sounding far more confident then he should be, considering his current predicament. Dave kicked a heel at his shin, shushing him as he did so. 

"Okay Katz's, here's what's going to happen," the jock fisted the fabric of his shirt, pulling them nose to nose,-"either you hand the fag over or you stay standing there and we assume that you're a fag too, which means we're gonna have to nail you're ass as well, one by one." His breath fanned over him, Dave couldn't contain his grimace and decided then and there, that if he was gay, then this guy definitely wasn't his type.

"Why do you keep saying it like that?" Hank snickered, peeking his head out from his side. 

The jock flushed again, sea sawing between anger and embarrassment. "Yeah, it sounds kinda sexual dude, right?"- Dave asked, looking over to the group of football players beside them and could see they were all varying degrees of uncomfortable. 

He felt the jocks rage spike before he had time to react, his fist swinging back and clocking him in the face. Then the second one came and the world blacked out for a second, lights flashing between his vision as he struggled to keep upright, he tried to block the third, but he lost his footing and collided with the wall behind him, he heard yelling and what sounded akin to the wild screech of a banshee as he faded out of consciousness, one last slow blink and he could swear he saw Hank on top of the jock's shoulders, biting the guy's face.   
_____________________________________

"No way!" Klaus laughed, even more enamored with Hanna then minutes before.

Hanna shrugged, a proud smile on her face, "he needed six stitches, told everyone a raccoon did it cause I made him cry like a baby." 

"Aww, but Dave, you got hurt." Klaus pouted, leaning on his shoulder to comfort him, but Dave didn't feel it was necessary, it was ages ago and it didn't bother him nearly as much as the other shit that would happen during that time in his life. 

"I'm alright sweetheart, it happened a long time ago, I can barely remember it." He stroked a hand through Klaus curls, scrunching them in his palm, never tiring of the way it felt to just have him there by his side. He couldn't deny since the incident at the convention, he was paranoid that Klaus would just disappear out of his sight and he'd wake up from his dream and he'd be alone, without him. 

"Wait, but what was your nickname?"

"Well, when everyone found out he squared off with the captain of the football team, he was henceforth dubbed, Dave the brave." Hanna mimed Knighting him with an invisible sword. Dave shook his head, face hot with embarrassment even as he heard Klaus start to chuckle about it next to him. 

"What!? Oh that's so corny! Cute, but corny." 

Hanna shrugged,"it was the early two thousands."

_________________

The evening continued on, the four of them getting to know each other, Dave learning that although Arnold was a quiet man, he did in fact love Hanna with all his heart, she was the one thing he was enthusiastic to talk about without much prompting, he'd say things that had Hanna blushing and giggling like a schoolgirl. Dave was beyond happy for them, relieved that Hanna found a good man to treat her right. He honestly felt bad for having lost contact with her like he did, he had his reasons of course, but he couldn't help but feel like he should have tried a little harder. 

"So I'm taking it you don't want a pet in the house at the moment." Hanna asked, he thought it was directed at him, but tuning back in, he saw she was looking at Klaus. 

Klaus frowned, no idea where that statement was coming from."Uh.." he said, looking to Dave for help. He felt like he had been doused in ice water, what did he do, he'd completely forgotten about that, now Klaus was angry and he'd tell him how stupid he was for even thinking he could get a dog, let alone without his permission. His chest was tight and his throat constricted, he needed air, he needed out of the situation. 

"I have to use the toilet." He announced, scooting out of his chair and striding towards the washroom, everyone at the table looking on at him in varying faces of concern. He couldn't look at them, couldn't handle their judgement and sneers, see how pathetic they must think he is. His head pounded and the lights were so bright, his hands were cold and sweaty, he felt like he was drowning in open air. 

"Stop asking for stupid shit!" 

"How many times do I have to tell you Dave, I don't do animals, hell, some days I can barely tolerate you!" 

"I love you Dave, but you're being really annoying right now, let it go already!" Voice after voice, Preston screaming into his face and belittling him, he thought it was normal for couples to fight like that, but now he knew that it was just Preston that liked to fight like that, he'd never once retaliated in a similar manner, always thought himself deserving of that kind of treatment. He used to get over it so fast when it was happening, but now that it was over, it haunted him and he felt absolutely pathetic for it. 

"Dave?" A voice in the distance called out to him, he looked up through watery eyes to see the blurry figure of his boyfriend, crouching down on those ridiculous heels. He felt his hands grip his face and thumb away his tears. 

"Dave, what's going on?" 

He sniffled, the flood gates opening up once again at the sound of genuine concern in his voice. Just the fact that Klaus was here and hadn't left him to collect himself alone, that he actually wanted to see why he was upset, it was too much. He didn't deserve it, he was always doing this and causing a scene. 

"I'm sorry." He cried, wanting to hide in shame, but Klaus' hands wouldn't let him, holding his gaze as he searched his face. 

"For what, wanting a dog, Dave?" Klaus chuckled humorlessly, a stray tear of his own running down his face and streaking through his foundation. 

He stayed silent, cause it did sound silly when you said it out loud, but he guessed that only made him feel worse now.

"Hanna explained to me about the conversation you guys had and I honestly don't get why you were so scared to tell me, but Dave, I don't own you. You can do whatever the hell you want. You want a dog, get a dog, personally I'd love a dog, you know, a fur baby before a real baby, get some good practice in." 

Dave paused, blinking away his tears in surprise. "You, you want kids?"-he asked, completely thrown by the admission. 

Klaus smirked, shifting to sit criss cross on the bathroom floor. "One day, maybe when we're both a little healthier, you know up here."-he tapped at his temple, -"But that's a conversation we can definitely have later, what I want to get to the bottom of now, is this whole dog diabolical." 

"I overreacted, but I'm fine now, it won't happen again." He rushed, trying to stand and get back out to the table with Hanna and Arnold. 

"Dave." Klaus pressed a hand to his chest, easing him back to the floor. 

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm sorry, it's just…..when I was with Prest-"

"Ah! He who shall not be named!" Klaus cut him off. He chuckled, forgetting how good Klaus was at keeping the mood light. 

"When I was with he who shall not be named, he….he made me feel dumb for wanting stuff and I don't know, I was just…...scared of you hating me for wanting a dog." He shrugged, his gaze downcast, not wanting to see the anger on klaus' face, cause he could definitely feel it. He knew he'd make him mad at some point, he just thought things were okay at the moment. He was tense, waiting for the yelling and name calling, but then he felt a weight settle in his lap, his hands coming up to wrap around Klaus' waist on reflex. 

Klaus held his head against his chest, gentle finger combing through his hair, Dave melted into the embrace. "Dave, I love you with every last breath of my being and never, never in my life would I ever hate you, not for a single thing. You've got a ginormous heart of gold and you did not deserve the way that shitty little prick treated you and I promise you Dave, I'm not him, nor will I ever be. If I even begin to resemble him in any way, then I give you full permission to shoot me in the head." 

"Klaus!" He startled, his gut churning at the mental imagery that gave him. 

"Too soon?" He asked, wincing down at him. 

"It will always be too soon." He answered back, his voice wavering wetly. 

They took a few more minutes to recuperate, then finally leaving the bathroom to tell Hanna and Arnold that they would have to continue their double date another day. Hanna and Arnold were more than okay with that and told them they were glad to have met when they did. 

Three days later, Dave came home to Klaus laid out on the living room floor, laughing and giggling as two terrier mixes pranced around and licked all over his face. He stopped in the middle of the doorway, his heart beating out of his chest, then he slowly walked towards them, dropping to his knees and greeting the tiny puppies that came running into his lap. A wet laugh burst out of his chest, Dave felt like a little boy again, finally getting his childhood wish at thirty two. They named them Tux and Penguin after their matching black and white coats. 

"So, how does it feel being a dog dad finally?" Klaus asked, head leaned against his shoulder as they watched their puppies jump around their living room, chasing after a tennis ball Klaus had rolled to them. 

Dave was silent for a moment, then he gave a loud sniffle, his eyes still shiney as he watched his fur babies bounce around -"I love them so much."

Klaus nodded, happy and content in a way he never thought himself capable of, "Yeah, I love them too. We should take a picture!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep making OC's, I just hope Hanna comes off as likeable as I intended her to be, I wanted her to be a badass, but also a little bit unhinged. Dave definitely didn't discover his sexuality till at least junior year, he didn't have a whole lot of room to think about it while he was growing up and taking care of his mother and grandparents basicly, but meeting Hanna put him on the fast track to his angsty sexual awakening. I like to think they attempted dating for like a week but quickly went back to being friends cause it just didn't feel right. I also wanna say Hanna had an idea about her gender from an early age, but due to the culture back then and how religious her parents were, she didn't have the safety or resources to come out and transition till later in life.


	4. We can get healthier, up here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Dave are quickly becoming the new targets of the mainstream media when Five and Vanya go public with their law suite, but that's the least of their worries. With the trial on their heels and a surprise visit from Five, both Klaus and Dave find facing their fears is inevitable, no matter how much they want to protect each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I said updates might be spotty at some point, but I still always feel bad when I don't update after a while. Definitely was a struggle to get this chapter out, major writers block and just all around having no idea where I was wanting to go with this, might be why this chapter is pretty loaded with a whole bunch of things going on, but it did enough to help me set up for the next chapter, so hopefully I can get that out on much better time. Sadly updates will not be on much of a schedule, sporadic, surprise updates basically, but I will finish the series no matter what. 
> 
> TW, not sure how relevant this is, but Klaus and Dave get a little kinky in this chapter, just a little though. 
> 
> Sorry in advance for any missed spelling or grammar errors

"Hay, David, David Katz right?" A flash went off and Dave had to rapidly blink his eyes back into focus, before schooling his face into a glare at the young man that had just taken his photo. 

"No, I'm not him." He shook his head and turned to walk out of the mailroom and back to the stairs to his condo, his hand filled with fan mail for both he and Klaus' respectively, that he used to cover his face with as he turned away. 

"If you're not Dave then why are you hiding your face? Can you answer me some questions? What happened to you and Preston? Is Klaus the man you harassed in that video of you in the club?" Dave kept silent, banging the door closed behind himself and locking it before the reporter had a chance to try and follow after him. It was bad enough his address must have been leaked, if they knew which unit he lived in, then it was over for him and Klaus. They'd have to move and that would be pretty shitty, seeing as they've only been living together for a total of five months now. 

Entering the condo, he was met with the sight of Klaus lain tummy down on the couch in nothing but hot pink briefs and a sheer black robe with a fluffy black trim as he typed away on their shared laptop. His tongue poking out of his mouth in concentration, not yet aware that Dave had come through the door. He couldn't help but lean against the wall and appreciate the rare moment of Klaus being completely quiet and zoned out into a task. 

He had thought Klaus was a fidgety thing when he was in the throes of withdrawal, but living with him for the last five months has taught Dave that even sober, Klaus could only stay entertained or occupied by something for so long. He needed a constant stream of stimulus from sun up to sun down, else his excessive energy got redirected into more chaotic and even dangerous activities. Klaus was currently banned from touching the stove and or oven for such an event happening not that long ago. 

"Ben says you're staring at my ass." Klaus states smugly, not looking away from the computer screen, but the grin evident in his voice. Dave shakes himself out of his thoughts, chuckling as he pushes off from the wall and moves into the kitchen, where he drops the pile of letters and envelopes down on the counter with all the others. 

"It's a cute ass." He answers back easily, thrilling in the spots of pleased pink that bloom like flowers in klaus' aura. 

"The cutest ass?" Klaus hedges, voice full of false innocents as he finally turns away from the computer to stare imploringly up at him. 

"The cutest damn ass in all the world.",Dave amends resolutely, bending over the couch to smack a kiss onto the top of Klaus' curly head.

Klaus beams, satisfied and turning to smirk triumphantly down at the floor, "well Ben, if Dave says it then it must be true." 

Ben flashes into sight, looking annoyed from his cross legged seat on the floor beside him. "Stop being gross." 

"you've seen and heard far worse from me, Benjamin." Klaus huffs.

Ben's silent, mouth opening to argue back, but quickly clacking shut, cause yeah, Klaus was right.-"I wanna play with the puppies."- he says instead, getting up and walking off to Dave and Klaus' room, where Tux and Penguin were both taking morning naps in their beds. 

Dave watches him go, silently happy to know he'd be occupied for the moment. He often forgot that he could be hanging around at any moment without his notice, though Klaus said he often spent most of his time around town or with his other siblings. 

"He'd been tethered to me for thirteen plus years, more so out of obligation rather than physically, so I kind of expected him to want to take a bit of a break now that he knows I'm not going to overdose in some dumpster if he's gone." Klaus had said, shrugging his shoulders all nonchalant, not noticing the way Dave was literally dying inside at how insanely sad that statement was. It gave him chills just thinking where Klaus might be right now if they'd never met. It gave him chills thinking where he might be right now if he'd never met Klaus. They wouldn't be happy, that much he knew for sure. 

"What are you working on?" He asks, sitting down on the couch next to Klaus, who happily rests his feet over his lap.

He hums, lips pulling into a tight line as he looks back to the computer screen. "Five wants me to testify for the latest court thing against dirty, rotten, stinky, gremlin boy, so I'm trying to get my thoughts in order, but I sort of accidentally wrote a novel about it instead and I'm kind of wanting to finish it now." 

Dave's throat constricts, it's been a while since any discussions about the lawsuit has been brought up, not since the family BBQ, but just a week ago, Five and Vanya had gone public with it and it was quickly becoming national news, which would explain the uptick in his and Klaus' popularity regarding the press. 

"Are you...are you sure you want to testify?" 

Klaus grimaces, still staring unhappily at the word document in front of him. "No, I don't actually want to, but I know I need to, or else that dickhead has the chance to twist the tale of what really happened to his liking. I don't want to give him the chance to turn us into the bad guys, I want everyone to know what kind of monster he truly is."

Dave nodded, he knew it was necessary, though he wished all of it could just be done and over with, so he and Klaus could finally live their lives in peace. "No, I get that, it's just….scary is all. " 

Klaus sighed, closing the laptop and sitting up then moving to straddle Dave's lap. He stared down at him with an easy smile, his hands holding either side of his face, "I'm not scared of him Dave, which is why I'll make damn sure you never have to see that slimey son of a bitch again." 

Dave smiled right back, not for the first time in total awe of the man in front of him. Klaus was everything he was lacking in himself, brave, bold, and so much will power. From an outsider's perspective, Dave might seem like the guardian angle that had pulled Klaus from his sinful ways of drug addiction, but when you really knew the full story, you would see that Klaus had been the one to save Dave in so many ways and even today, he was still doing it. Everyday he woke up next to him, Dave couldn't believe how much better his life was all cause Klaus was in it. 

"How in the hell did I ever get so lucky with a guy like you?" Dave breathed out, hand cupping Klaus' face and pulling him closer. 

Klaus smirked, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he glanced down at Dave's lips then back up to his eyes. "Pretty sure I'm the one who should be asking that?" 

"I don't know, you could do way better than an emotional mess like me." Dave chuckled, thumb rubbing small circles over the apple of Klaus' cheek.

Klaus paused, his face pulling into a frown, "No ones better than you, Dave."-he swore fervently, diving down to capture his mouth, pouring as much conviction into the kiss as he had his earlier statement. He smiled at the weight of Dave's hands landing over his hips, pulling him even closer, his fingers toying with the waistband of Klaus' briefs. He groaned into the kiss, more than ready to peel himself out of his underwear and feel Dave's hands on the rest of him. Scooting back and sitting on the edges of Dave's spread knees, his hands keeping a firm grip around Klaus' waist incase he leaned back too far, he shrugged his robe off and tossed it to the side, grinning at the way Dave's gaze lingered on all of the newly exposed skin. 

"Nothing you haven't seen before, Dave." Klaus teased, his hands getting to work on Dave's shirt, grabbing the hem and tugging it over his head and arms. 

"I never get tired of seeing it." Dave answered back in all seriousness, already flushing from face to chest at the feather light touches of Klaus' hands coasting down his abdomen and to the button of his jeans. His breath hitched in anticipation, eyes blown as he stared into klaus'. The man grinning and biting his lip while he studied Dave for his every reaction, hand working his pants open with practiced ease. He practically sighed in relief at the feeling of being freed from the almost painfully tight constraints of his jeans. 

Klaus leaned down, breath fanning over his ear,- "where do you want me?"-he asked, voice low and thick, his fingers ghosting up and down the material of his boxers and over his erection, sending jolts of want and need down Dave's spine. He had to hold himself back from thrusting up into the barely there touches Klaus was giving him, but he did, cause it wasn't part of the game. He knew this game and he loved it. Never played it with anyone as good as Klaus and Klaus was so, so very good at it. 

It took him a minute to gather his words, trying not to get too lost in the rythmic up and down, up and down of Klaus' fingers. 

"Dave?" Klaus said, just a hint of authority to his voice that had Dave's toes curling against the carpet. 

"O-on top." He finally got out, receiving his reward of Klaus' hand pushing past his boxers and fully enclosing around him, his immediate groan being muffled by the filthy kiss Klaus pressed over his mouth. Their tongues swirling together, his breath coming out faster and faster as Klaus picked up the pace of his strokes, Dave shamelessly giving in and rutting up into it. 

Dave preferred to top more than not, but that didn't make him the dominant out of the relationship. After years and years of being the giver, the designated Dom in his and Preston's sexual relationship and the few relationships he had before him, he could admit, that right now, with Klaus sat on his lap with his hand down his pants and drool dribbling over the corner of his mouth as his head turned dizzy with every dirty little promise Klaus bit into his skin, he could admit that he fucking loved it. 

Klaus grinned big, all tooth and glimmering eyes of mischief, "you wanna cum like this?"-he asked sweetly, slowing his hand down, while his other moved to grip himself through his briefs. 

Dave's breath stuttered, his head shaking before he could pant out a succinct no. 

"You want me to ride you?" He asked further, his hand still keeping up it's slow agonizing pace. Dave was just about to answer his enthusiastic yes, when a figure in the hallway caught his attention. Their eyes locking and Dave immediately froze in shock.

"Evening gentleman."- Five greeted coolly, leisurely walking into the living room. 

Klaus shot out of his lap, yelping in surprise and landing in a heap on the floor. Dave quickly stuffed himself back into his pants, then moved to help him up; The two of them coming to stand side by side and very uncomfortable in their respective pants in front of their surprise guest.

Five took one look at Klaus and rolled his eyes.-"For Christ sake Klaus, put some clothes on." 

"Hay, this is my home, you teleport at your own risk buddy."-he fired back, grabbing his robe from the floor and pulling it tightly around himself none the less.

"What can we do for you, Five?" Dave asked in an attempt to deescalate any sibling squabbles before they even began. Knowing Klaus and the Hargreeves a little better now, he was accustomed to just how volatile an interaction can be between any number of them. He thanked his empathic abilities that made him such an attentive peacemaker. If he had any place in the Hargreave family, it was definitely the role of the mediator.

Five pressed his lips together in a hard line, shooting one last annoyed look at Klaus before turning to address Dave. "I'm sure Klaus has already told you, he'll be testifying in court soon, I came to check over what he'll be planning to say to be sure it's not stupid." 

"Hay!" 

"I also came to ask if you'd be willing to add your own testimony." Five continued, completely tuning Klaus out. 

Dave blanched, his hands instantly going cold and clammy while his thoughts swirled like a violent vortex in his head. He hadn't seen Preston since the convention, since he beat the ever loving shit out of him. Granted, it was a warranted beating, but it had been the most violent thing he's ever done in his life. The image of Preston's scared, bloodied face was like a brand in his mind. He still hated the guy and Dave never thought he could hate anyone in his life, but he hated Preston. He hated him so much, but more than that, he feared him, cause he knew how much pain he was capable of causing him. Preston knew every last one of his insecurities and weaknesses, all the things he had once trusted in the man, only for him to use it against him at some point and going off of their last interaction with each other, he could only guess how bloodthirsty Preston must be by now, and maybe he deserved it. But was he ready for that kind of punishment? The consequences for his actions? Cause that's exactly what it would be, no matter what he did, there were always consequences to be had when with Preston, whether they be financial or emotional. He just wanted to be done with the guy, but it felt like he was always going to keep coming back in some way. 

He jumped at the touch of cold hands grasping either side of his face, directing his eyes into the concerned greens of his boyfriend's."Hay, come on Dave, I know it's easy to get lost in all that nasty shit going on in your head, trust me I know that better than anyone, but I need you to fight it and stay with me." 

Dave nodded, still mentally caught between his downward spiral and the here and now. He felt himself be guided down onto the couch, everything feeling as if it were underwater as he watched Klaus turn to Five with a furocity. 

"He's not testifying. Why the hell would you even think to ask that?!" He growled, keeping a defensive stance in front of him. 

Five rolled his eyes, looking from Dave's silent zoned out form on the couch to Klaus. "He dated that prick for five years, he has the most knowledge and let's be honest here, dirt on the guy. If we're going to win this case then Dave's going to be more than just our wild card to do so." 

Klaus shook his head, agitation rolling off of him in waves. "That's playing dirty, Dave's not that kind of guy, he wouldn't do it." 

Five scoffed, his face screwed up in a sneer, "You think Preston isn't going to pull out all the stops? From what I've heard, Mr Lloyd does not shy away from punching low and i'm certain Dave knows that better than any of us." 

Dave flinched, his gut sinking, cause Five was right. He knew just how low Preston went to get his way and a nationally televised legal battle was going to be a goddamn playground for him. It only served to make him feel utterly pathetic at the reminder of how he had let himself be so horribly treated for so long. Even now, he didn't really understand how it had gotten that way. He didn't think it mattered anymore though, cause he had gotten out of it, far later than he should have, he was just dealing with the fallout now. 

Klaus stood up straighter, his muscles tense and his shoulders squared. Five may have been the oldest version of his brother he's seen yet, but he still was physically younger and about a whole head shorter. He was by no means the fighting type, but when it came to Dave, Klaus would fucking brawl, powers and all. And right now, it was a family be damned kind of situation, cause he wasn't about to let Dave be dragged through his trauma in the safety of his own home.- "Leave." - he demanded, voice hard and conveying just how much shit he was not willing to take. 

Five shook his head, scoffing like the jaded old man he was. "You can't keep babying him Klaus, he's going to have to face his demons at some point, just like we all do, but he could do some good here and actually get some justice for what happened to him and everyone else that shit bag fucked over." 

"I'm already testifying and so is Audry, Dave doesn't need to spare a single second in the same room as the piece of shit that abused him for five years straight! Now leave!" Klaus roared, pointing towards the door, body a tense line of motion just waiting to combust out of him. 

"what he needs is therapy, cause hiding from his fucking trauma isn't going to make it go away, you know that, Klaus!" Five boomed right back, face hard and angry, before subtly deflating, his voice taking on a more tired, resigned tone-"Some monsters you have to face, cause at the end of the day, they're going to haunt you no matter what, regardless of how you feel, so you might as well make peace with them."-then he was zapping out of sight without another word, leaving a practically vibrating Klaus and a silent and thoughtful Dave in his wake. 

"I just…..Ghuaaah!" Klaus spasmed, his arms swinging around in the air wildly.- "He doesn't fucking know anything! He talks like he knows what any of us are going through, but he doesn't fucking get it, he could never fucking get it!"

Dave was still lost in thought, Five's words having struck a chord with him, but Klaus' growing anger was quickly pulling him back to the forefront of his mind. "Klaus?" 

Klaus huffed heavily through his nose, starting a healthy pace from one side of the living room to the other,"I know we couldn't possibly sue Preston without him, but he was definitely over stepping some boundaries, acting like a little know it all and demanding you testify too, then he has the fucking nerve to say you need therapy!" 

"Klaus, I do need therapy." Dave laughed weakly, cause he'd known he needed therapy for a long time now and maybe this was his wake up call to finally get it. Honestly, he thought they both could benefit from it.

Klaus paused in his pacing, stopping in front of Dave, his face in open bewilderment, "No you don't, you're perfectly fine." 

"I'm really not, Klaus." -he admitted, grabbing his hand and lightly tugging him down on the couch next to him.- "But that's okay, cause I know you'll stay with me." 

All of the tension in Klaus' posture softened, a slow smile spread over his lips. "I'm never leaving, Dave." 

Dave smiled back, his chest swelling with Klaus' sincerity- "No matter what?" -he countered. 

"No matter what." Kluas promised. 

"Okay good, cause I think you need therapy too." 

Klaus instantly went wide eyed, staring at Dave as if he could not believe what he had just said. Dave only continued to grin and nod though, not taking the statement back or rephrasing it, much to Klaus' carnage. 

"No, Dave." He whimpered, already knowing he wasn't going to be able to get out of this one. 

"You said so yourself, you wanted to be healthier up here." -he tapped a finger against Klaus' temple-"before we had kids of our own, so why don't we get a head start?" 

Klaus sighed, remembering exactly what he had told Dave on that bathroom floor a few months ago. If he were a lesser man, he would have tried to deny it and weasel his way out of this at whatever cost, but looking into Dave's hopeful blue eyes and feeling the soft encouraging grip he had on his knee, he knew it was a losing battle, cause he would do absolutely anything for Dave. 

"I did say no matter what." Klaus sighed, his heart flipping at the way Dave's face lit up even brighter. God, it was like the man was sunshine personified. 

"I know it's going to be difficult, for both of us, but I promise it's going to be worth it, Klaus." Dave assured, hands gently cupping Klaus' face and pulling him in for a kiss, much gentler and sweeter this time, but it wasn't long before they picked up where they had left off. 

__________________________________

The following week, Dave woke up to an empty bed. His arm having blindly patted about Klaus' side for said man, till his brain finally woke up enough to realize he wasn't there.

It wasn't nearly as worrying of a thing as it had been when he was with Preston. Klaus being up before him wasn't new, but Kluas being out of bed first thing in the morning could mean a whole slew of things. With a sigh and a stretch he got up and padded his way out of the room, finding Klaus curled up on the couch with his knitting needles and a mess of yarn twisted around them. 

"Uh oh, you got the knitting out. Should I make some tea?" Dave asked, knowing exactly how restless Klaus must really be to resort to knitting this early in the day. 

Klaus groaned and tossed the tangle of yarn and needles down in front of him on the couch, "No, I'm just trying to keep myself busy, I feel like I'm going to burst out of my skin." -he groaned dramatically, his arms crossing tightly over his chest. 

Dave frowned and came to sit next to him, Klaus instantly moving to tuck up into his side."Have you tried watching a movie?"-he asked, arm wrapping around Klaus and squeezing him close. 

He nodded, "Six times, I kept losing interest so I gave up." 

"Is it…" he paused, lips flattening out as he thought his next question over. "is it a sobriety thing?" 

Klaus raised his eyebrows, then they lowered as he genuinely started to think it over, "I don't think it is, I mean I get itchy and antsy for a hit from time to time, but I'm usually able to work past it with all my usual distractions." 

Dave nodded, he tended to have a good grasp on klaus' moods, as rapid fire and ever changing as they were. So he was pretty confident in his ability to tell if Klaus' was on the brink of relapse, which only left one other reason behind Klaus' current agitation. 

"Is this about our therapy appointments this afternoon?" He tried again, already certain he'd hit the nail on the mark. 

There was a long stretch of silence from Klaus, his face blank as he mulled that over- "let me blow you!" - he blurted, scrambling out of Dave's arms to slide down the couch and position himself between his legs. 

Dave hands instantly shot down to cover his crotch, face going hot at the sad little pout Klaus gave him in response.-"No, Klaus, come on let's talk about it, why are you so scared?"

Klaus grimaced- "I'm not scared." -he muttered, still eyeing Dave's cupped hands with displeasure. 

"Klaus, I'm an empath, I know you're scared. Now come sit back up here so we can talk." He tried to tug Klaus back to the couch, but the man only shrugged his hands off. 

"I'm fine down here." He said casually, fingers ghosting over the skin of Dave's calf, giving him his best bedroom eyes. 

Dave shook his head, caught between being annoyed or amused by Klaus' behavior. The latter usually always won out though and today was no different.

"You're going to hurt your knees." He said, going for an exasperated tone, but his lips still twitched into a smirk against his better judgement. 

"You can kiss them better." Klaus shot back with a wink, cheshire grin widening at the blush heating up Dave's face, his hand moving higher and just inches away from running under the fabric of his boxers. 

Dave had to force himself not to give in to Klaus' teasing, he'd love nothing more than to play along to the game Klaus' was initiating, especially with him already between his legs like this. But it wasn't the right time and he knew Kluas was only doing it to get out of the conversation and possibly therapy all together. 

So with a heavy, reluctant sigh, he brushed Klaus' roaming hands off and got up,- "Fine, then I'll just come down there with you." -He announced, walking over to lay himself down on the floor next to him.

Klaus' eyed him warily, watching him just lay there on their living room carpet- "Stop that, you'll hurt your back."- he complained, poking him in the leg. 

"You can just kiss it better then." Dave replied, eyebrows raised in challenge. Klaus didn't look happy at having his own words used against him.

"Come lay down with me, tell me why this therapy stuff is freaking you out so much?" He coaxed gently, patting the space next to him.

Klaus bit his lip, shooting Dave another glance,- "I'm fine right here." 

Dave pouted out his lower lip, "please, I'm lonely." 

Klaus' eyes narrowed, his shoulders slumping the slightest bit, "No you're not."

Dave's pout cracked, a smile falling over his face, -"I'm always lonely without you."- he professed, reaching out for Klaus' hand, grabbing it and feeling him lace their fingers together. 

Klaus' lips twitched at the corners, trying and failing to hide how much Dave's words warmed him. "Quite being sweet, that's not playing fair." 

"I'm not playing anything, I'm just being honest." 

Klaus stared at Dave for a long moment, searching his face before finally huffing and moving to lay down beside him and rest his head over his chest. 

Dave combed a hand through Klaus' hair, softly toying with his curls as he let out a small hum of contentment. -"Tell me what's going on in that beautiful head of yours." 

Klaus snorted, "only the outside's beautiful." 

"You're derailing the conversation." Dave stated, his fingers still twirling a curl around in his hand.

"Are you sure you don't want a blowjob?" Klaus tried again, hand twitching to snake down Dave's thigh. 

"No, Klaus, please stop trying to distract me with sexual favors." He said, growing a little worried with how dedicated Klaus was to this blowjob strategy of his. 

Klaus sighed, shrugging his shoulders defensively, "Sorry, I'm just used to it having worked for me in the past...old habits die hard I guess." 

Dave nodded, his stomach not sitting well with the implications of that, but they could work through it another time. Right now they were having a responsible, adult conversation about an issue and Dave would be damned if this got brushed over. "It's okay Kluas, just tell me what's going on." 

"You were right, I am scared." Klaus grumbled into his shoulder, his fingers fidgeting and picking at the fabric of Dave's shirt. 

"It's okay to be scared, Klaus." He breathed out, cause he knew better than anyone what fear was like, he'd been scared of Preston for five years straight, but he had let that fear consume him and warp his mind into a state of complacency with his mistreatment. It took till meeting an outsider like Klaus, who had no qualms with calling his monster out and facing him head on, for him to realize he was even living with a monster to begin with. -"But I know you can do this, you're one of the bravest people I have ever met in my life. You've conquered criminals, drug addiction and even literal ghosts, I know for a fact you can survive therapy, cause I'll be with you this time, I promise." 

________________________________

The room was dimly lit, with two rock salt lamps on side tables positioned at either side of the soft burgundy couch Dave and Klaus were currently sitting upon. An oil diffuser was stationed on top of a bookshelf adjacent to them, puffing out the relaxing scents of lavender and eucalyptus and above that, was a large framed abstract painting, displaying vibrant cool strokes of blues and greys. It was a perfect relaxing environment for anyone to just unwind and let it all out, but Klaus wasn't just anyone and he could physically feel his muscles growing tenser the longer he sat here in a silent stare down with his new therapist. 

"Let's talk about your childhood." Dr Cho said, adjusting her thick rimmed glasses on her face. She was sat with her legs crossed at the knee in her cushy rolly chair, holding a notepad and pen in each of her hands and Klaus had never felt his fight or flight instincts as strongly as he did now.

"Let's not.",Klaus smiled tightly, fingers squeezing red marks over the skin of his arms from where they were folded firmly across his chest. 

"Klaus." Dave warned lightly, shooting Dr Cho an apologetic look. 

He rolled his eyes, "Vanya wrote a whole book about our childhood, she could have at least studied up before our appointment." 

Dr Cho sighed, scribbling something down on her notepad. "I have read the book actually, it was quite popular in the phycology community, never quite seen anything like it, such an in-depth exploration of childhood abuse of such magnitude-"- she shook her head mournfully, then paused, catching that she was working up to a tangent. She joted another quick note down then looked back up to Klaus, -"but the book is written from your sister's perspective, I just wanted to get your's." 

"Why, are you going to write a book too?" Klaus snipped, his posture stiff and pressing into the back of the plush couch as if only he could just push himself far enough backwards, then he'd be able to get away from her. 

"Klaus!" Dave reperminded, slightly louder this time.

"I can see by your body language that you're very closed off right now, why do you think that is?" She asked calmly, completely glossing over Klaus' earlier attack.

Klaus opened his mouth to retort something smart back, but he felt a warm hand land on his knee. He looked to the side to see Dave's pleading blue eyes and quickly bit his tongue. Swallowing his first response, he told himself he was doing this for Dave, for their future children, for their future.-"You're making me nervous."  
-he admitted, physically forcing himself to loosen up his 'closed off' posture. 

Her eyebrows raised, clearly not expecting Klaus to cooperate so soon. "I am? Why do you think that is?" 

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking it over. Just sitting here, in this small room, on some couch, getting grilled by this stranger with her little notepad and pen and degree that basically said she knew his brain better than he did. It was honestly a ridiculous concept to him, even with Dave here beside him, he just didn't like feeling like some kind of specimen underneath a microscope. It reminded him too much of his father and all the trauma that came with the mere mention of that man. "I feel like I'm being studied….again." 

Her face actually softened at that, he wouldn't have called her expression pity or even sympathy, but maybe a little more like understanding dawning on her features. She nodded, scribbling away on her notepad. "Yes, I can see how that would make you feel nervous. Is there any way I can make you feel less like you're being studied?" 

Klaus raised his eyebrows this time, not expecting her to actually want to adjust her practice to make him more comfortable. No matter how many times Klaus had complained about his father's experiments and training, he had been shut down and even punished for voicing his discomfort and pain. He was silent, blinking past the stinging in his eyes as he willed the knot in his throat to subside. He could feel his hand being grabbed and laced together with Dave's, his warm palm helping to ground him back to the moment.

"I'm not too sure yet." He uttered out wetly. He was already feeling like a failure and maybe it wasn't all that new of a thing for him, since he was used to the disappointment of his family and literally anyone who got to know him past his rambunctious druggie exterior, but he was doing this for Dave, more so than himself and he wanted more than anything to at least make him proud if no one else. 

"would you like to end this session early?" She asked. 

Klaus clenched his jaw, he had promised Dave he would do this, but he was already beyond exhausted just getting this far already. He knew he could do this and he would, he'd keep trying for Dave, but he wasn't ready to just jump in off the bat. Turning to said man, he hoped he could feel just how unready he was. Thankfully, Dave nodded his head, mouthing 'its okay' to him without a hint of disappointment on his face. With a sigh of relief, he turned back to Dr Cho,"Yeah, I'd like to try this again next week." 

"That's perfectly fine, maybe when you go home today, you can compose a list of things that make you uncomfortable and when you come back next week, we can try and remedy them."-then she turned to Dave, -"Which means, it's now time for your appointment David. Are you going to want Klaus' to stay with you, like you did for him?" 

Dave paused, "No, actually I'd prefer to be alone." - he said, exchanging an apologetic look with Klaus. It wasn't that he didn't trust Klaus to be a part of the session. He just wanted this to be something he could do on his own. Klaus had done so much for him already, looking after him and his emotions and though he wasn't nearly as ashamed of them as he used to be, he just couldn't help but remember what Five had said. He didn't want to be babied by Klaus. He didn't want him to have the responsibility of seeing to his every emotional need, cause he knew how exhausting that could be for someone. Part of the reason he was doing this, was so he could learn to better manage his neurotic tendencies. Klaus deserved a strong, level headed partner he could depend on. Right now, Dave didn't think he was any of that at the moment. He was constantly crumbling any time things got just a little bit difficult. He wasn't coping and he'd be damned if he ever let himself fall back onto any old comforts of his. In the end, he was doing this for Klaus, more so than himself. 

"You sure?" He asks, giving his hand a squeeze. 

"Yeah, I am, I'll be alright, Klaus." He assured him, gripping his hand right back. Klaus still looked weary, but he stood up, leaning down to peck a quick kiss to his lips before moving to the door and pausing for a moment. 

"I'll be right outside." He said, then finally leaving, the door closing softly behind him. 

Dave's heart immediately starts to hammer in his chest once he's gone, cause now it was just him and the therapist and the minefield of trauma they were about to traverse. 

She clicked her pen, looking up from her notepad, her face a blank tranquil mask, "So, David, where do you want to start?" 

He gulped, hands tightening around the fist full of couch cushion he had underneath him. He wanted Klaus back already. Where did he even start? The beginning? His most recent, relevant trauma? He could start anywhere and it would all be equally as painful. He supposed the beginning was always good wasn't it? 

"My dad was a raging, dysfunctional alcoholic." 

She hummed, pen scribbling away on her notepad. "How did that affect the family dynamic?" 

He breathed out a shuddering breath, his chest aching like it always did whenever he thought about his childhood,"It destroyed it."

_________________________________

45 minutes later, the door opens and Dave walks out, a handkerchief pressed to his nose, his eyes red and teary. Klaus' head snaps up from the magazine he had in his hands, quickly setting it down to stand and meet Dave, gripping his arms as he studies his face with a sad little pout on his own.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, pulling Dave into a tight hug, wanting nothing more than to squeeze the sad right out of him. 

Dave chuckles, his body unreasonably light for the very heavy topics he had just discussed for the past 45 minutes. "As emotional as I probably look." 

"Yeah, a little, but I suppose that's what you'd expect from therapy."-Klaus hummed, rubbing large shooting circles into his back. -"I'm proud of you, Dave." 

Dave grinned, already choking up on how much that meant to him. He squeezed Klaus tighter to himself, his chin tucking into the crook of his neck. "I'm proud of you too, you know?" 

He felt Klaus tense up in his arms, before he slowly relaxed back again, -"I couldn't even finish the session." -he laughed, trying to brush it off. 

"You still tried, Klaus and I know you're going to keep trying for me and...that's honestly more commitment than I've ever gotten from someone...ever." He held Klaus at arms length, staring into his eyes and hoping that if maybe he just looked close enough and long enough, then he'd see a little bit of what Dave was seeing reflected in his own. He forgets sometimes, that behind all of Klaus' bravado and chaotic energy, was a man who didn't actually think all that highly of himself and it always peeked through in the smallest moments like these. 

"Come on, I think we deserve ice cream after a tough day like this." He said, changing the subject and guiding Klaus out of the building. He knew he would never be able to change Klaus' perception of himself in a single day, but he didn't doubt that one day he would, cause he'd never give up proving it to him. 

"Ooh, you gonna buy me ice cream for being a good boy?" Klaus teased, wagging his eyebrows and not caring how loud he was being in front of poor bystanders. A few heads turning as they walked into the parking lot.

"Klaus.",Dave warned, his ears heating up. 

Klaus burst out laughing, "am I good boy, Dave?" -he continued, barely catching his breath as he watched Dave go even redder. 

Dave stayed silent, he didn't know if he should indulge Klaus with an answer. He didn't need to worry though, cause Klaus came saddling up to his side, -"are you a good boy, Dave?" -he asked, voice low and sultry. He was being serious this time and Dave couldn't get to his car fast enough, cursing under his breath when he fumbled the keys for a second time.   
__________________________________

Klaus whined as he felt Dave roll out of bed, "no, come back."-he pleaded, half asleep as he stretched his arm out to snag the hem of Dave's boxers. 

"I'm just getting a quick drink of water, I'll be back." Dave chuckled, swiping Klaus' hand away, the waistband of his underwear snapping back into place.

Klaus grumbled his protest, but curled back up under the blankets. "Fine, but I get to be the big spoon when you get back." 

Dave rolled his eyes, but was smiling despite himself, "Alright, you can be the big spoon."

Coming down the hall, he could make out the figure of his visitor sitting atop the couch. He stopped at the edge of the living room, just as the figure turned their head in his direction, their eyes connecting.- "So, I got your message." - they drawled dryly, slowly getting up from their seat. 

Dave nodded in confirmation, throat tight with anxiety, but he pushed passed it. There was no going back now, he was doing this no matter what. 

"I'm glad you took the time to think over what I said, but I am required to ask you if you're one hundred percent certain about this, Dave." Five stepped out from the pitch blackness of the living room, his hands stuffed leisurely in the pockets of his sweatpants. He was definitely dressed for bed and Dave felt bad for having messaged him as late as he did, but it was a purely spur of the moment thing, one he had to do right that minute, cause he knew he'd find a way to talk himself out of it if he didn't. 

He nodded, "I'll tell Klaus in the morning, but I want to be able to do this for myself. I don't want to keep living in fear and I don't want Klaus to be alone in this battle, cause it's mine just as much as it's his." 

Five smirked, pulling a hand free from his pocket and coming over to hold it out for him. "The first trial is at 8:00 am on the 10th, there's going to be press, so be prepared. I recommend you do the same as Klaus and write down your testimony beforehand, I'll come by to check it over and give you the okay on it." 

Dave took his hand and shook it, his gut coiling with so many emotions. It was a good thing what he was doing, but somehow, he felt like he was making a deal with the devil and Five's razor sharp grin and dangerously glinting eyes weren't helping to dissuade that analogy one bit.

"It's late, I'll be seeing you again, Dave." Five said, turning around and zapping out of sight, their meeting coming to an end just like that. 

Dave took a moment to just breath, calming himself before finally going back to the room. Klaus had already fallen back asleep, folded up in a tight ball on his side, with a pillow over his head. Dave climbed back under the covers as gently as possible. He shifted around till he was comfortable, pausing for a beat to make sure he hadn't woken Klaus. He shot him a quick glance and was relieved to see him still fast asleep. Assured that his boyfriend was officially out for the night, he stretched out his arms to pull him close, only to freeze in place when a drowsy grumble fell from his lips. 

"No, I'm big spoon, turn around." Came Klaus' sleepy demand. Dave sighed, but did just that, feeling Klaus' legs and arms envelope him. His naked chest flush with his back. Instantly relaxing at the soothing circles Klaus was rubbing over his stomach with his thumb and the soft warm breaths he was breathing against his neck, he could feel himself tipping into oblivion. 

Gradually, his eyes fell closed, flashes of dancing colors lighting his way through the deepening darkness. He realized he was in the tunnel once again, but this time he wasn't scared. The atmosphere was calm, peaceful even. No booming voices or the ground fracturing underneath him, just the rainbow of lights that zipped up and down and side to side down the long channel, a feeling of someone waiting for him at the end of it. He walked a little faster, his anticipation building for the person just beyond the tunnel. It was important he got there, that he made it on time. His steps quickly turned into a jog, his heart racing, cause the end of the tunnel didn't look any closer than when he had started. He broke out into a sprint, the lights moving just as fast as he was, if not faster, he was beginning to think they might be mocking him. 

"Hay!, I'm coming, I'll be there!"- He yelled, hopping his voice carried all the way to the person outside, his stomach sinking, cause he could feel his time running out. -"I'm on my way, don't leave yet!" 

The sound of chiming bells echoed off the walls of the tunnel, halting him in his tracks. He skidded to a stop, his head turning about in search of the sound, but the more he looked, the more the tunnel around him faded, quickly engulfing in a pale white glow. He tried to move and escape it, but no matter where he looked, the aura was coming from there too. He finally resigned himself to accept his fate and be consumed by it, just like the tunnel. Standing still, he watched it creep closer and closer to his feet, like the low tide of an ocean. He crouched down and touched it, his hand instantly flooding with warmth, it traveled up his arm and through the rest of his body. Happiness and love saturating him from head to toe. It was so overwhelming, he had to jerk his hand away. He tried to take a step back from it, but he ended up stumbling over and into the rest of the light flowing in behind him. It felt like falling off a cliff.

He woke up with a start, his eyes springing open and seeing the first rays of the morning sun streaming in through the break in their currents. He had little flashes of the dream still hanging about in his mind, but the pieces weren't exactly getting put together enough to reveal the whole narrative quite yet. He laid there for a moment, trying to work out what the flashes meant, if they had any meaning at all, but he was coming up short. 

"Klaus?" He called quietly, turning around in bed and seeing the spot next to him was vacant for the second time in two days. 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love me a prophetic dream. I wrote smut again, still not too confident in it, but I think I'm getting better. I can honestly see both Klaus and Dave being subs in their own right, but I think Dave would be the one who would need the outlet much more, especially after his horrendous relationship with Preston and that Klaus is more than happy to take on that role for him. 
> 
> My headcanon is that Dave would be the only person able to convince Klaus to go to therapy, anyone else Klaus would probably bite like a rabid animal. I also don't have the best grasp on how a lawsuit like the one Five and Vanya are filing against Preston is handled, so I'm not sure how realistic that's going to look. It just might not be realistic at all, cause that stuff is pretty boring in real life isn't it? I'll still try and research as best as I can, but Five and Vanya are basically suing Preston for being an asshole so I'll see how much will come up for that. 
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. I'm always looking to improve where I can


	6. Hiatus announcement.

This story is going on a momentary hiatus while I focus on a couple other fics I have more excitement for at the moment, I will finish the story eventually, or just go through and rework it all together, I definitely had big plans for the end and I'm definitely not done with klave, you should see a couple new fics by me in the near future that I'm super excited about. I really appreciated all the comments and praise I got for voodoo child and and when the Seánce ends, hopefully you'll stick around for what else I have in store.

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoy comments and appreciate constructive criticism. I'm really going all in with Dave's backstory, but I'm hoping it doesn't detract too much from the domestic Dave and Klaus, fluffy slice of life, with some mild angst, tone I'm going for. I'm wanting this to be a little longer, at least ten chapters, it'll have spotty updates for the most part, while I work on a new au i've gotten utterly invested in, I'm really excited about it cause it's basically a kid fic, but with a giant twist.


End file.
